>>16856340

Do you ever laugh? Like, ever? Here's a trick to faking a natural smile: thinking of the most hilarious shit you can remember, then when it makes you chuckle freeze that face. Congrats, you now look like a happy, approachable human.

Beyond that, socialization is a skill that just takes practice, time, and effort. You're very young, don't beat yourself for not knowing how to handle yourself, it's pretty normal.

Any ethical doctor will take you seriously. You may be referred to a psychotherapist of some kind.

It helps to pay attention to whatever social situations you're a part of, even if you're just observing them. How do people great each other? What do they talk about? When someone does or says something that makes you feel good or bad, remember what it was and why you felt that way. It's likely other people will respond similarly. Ape the good stuff and avoid the bad stuff. After every social interaction you should take some time while alone to pick it apart and examine what was going on as objectively as you can. Understand that small talk is not about transferring information, but about getting comfortable with one another. It's how people feel each other out and find common ground. Master small talk and you'll be able to move on to real talk, which most everyone enjoys more.

A good question to ask yourself is: why do you feel like you want to die whenever you talk to people? Is that a realistic thought?

If you're worried about what to say in conversation, try to ask questions people enjoy answering. 'What do you do for fun?' is a great one. Pay attention to what they say, ask follow up questions, try to find a point of common interest that will let you find a comfortable conversation topic you both enjoy. Cultivating a genuine interest in people is probably the easiest way to avoid social fear, since you're focusing on them instead of worrying so much about yourself.