f18, i used to do regular in person school up til freshman year, throughout the bit of freshman year i did participate in i communicated with a little notepad i brought with me everywhere because i find it way easier to speak through writing or text, but eventually switched to homeschool due to intense anxiety and frequent bullying. ive been homeschooled for a while now which is nicer for me because i feel safer and everything is quieter and easy to manage, but after a while it gets suffocating in the social aspects, none of my classmates stayed in touch, i have one single irl friend that i met at group therapy. my life feels so pathetic that ive been considering just ending it, but i know deep down thats not what i want. i want to be able to compliment people in public and start conversations and make friends but whenever i am in public it feels like some higher power mutes me and i cant get the words out because ive gotten so used to being so quiet. how do i get myself to just speak out and how do i start approaching people to potentially make friends? sorry if this is formatted obnoxiously or anything, i dont really use 4chan, im just trying to ask around for any help i can get. (file attached not related, its just john lennon and yoko ono because it said i needed to attach something.)

Have you tried being less autistic

>>33314783 (OP)
So you really just need to try doing that stuff. I would especially target older women, since they're probably the easiest to compliment and have that be the end of it (with young people might be considered flirting, with older men they'll want to befriend you because its one of five compliments they've ever received)

Once you've had small talk a few times or complimented people a few times and nothing went wrong it should help prove to you that you can do stuff like that

it sounds lame and autistic but you can practice at home. raise your voice, say some generic complimentary phrases in front of the mirror, that sort of thing. force yourself to feel what being not-quiet is like in your body while you're in a low-stakes place, and then it'll be easier to do outside. it isn't the same talking to real people as it is to yourself (many autists make this mistake and get mad when people don't follow the script they made up) but if you already know what to say and your hurdle is saying it this could help.

>>33314783 (OP)
hi post feet. yeah it's formatted obnoxiously. have you ever heard of the fucking enter key

also you sound like you're experiencing the usual shit introverts go through when they turn 18 and leave high school

>>33314783 (OP)
Practice complimenting animals and plants.