How do I get courage to approach women? I’ve tried so hard to do it at the mall, the gym, around my downtown city park and I bitch out everytime. I just always talk myself out of it or just have an excuse or mentally say “maybe next time” hoping the universe will allow me to see that pretty girl again but knowing it probably will never happen.

I used to be the type of guy that listened to his friends say “the right one will find you”. I learned (being single my whole life) that that was all lies. Girls don’t come to you, you have to go to them. But why is this so hard for me? Everyone I know has had multiple girlfriends, probably having lots of sex. And I’m over here just trying to be noticed by someone.

I know all the comments are just going to say “Dude you just got to go out there and approach them and don’t think about it.” But i don’t know how to do that. I get so incredibly shy and nervous that I feel my heart beating out of my chest everytime. I also don’t handle rejection well and take it quite personally. It affects my mood and I get depressed.

Most of my friends that I used to go out with have either moved away or are married/ have a gf so I don’t really have anyone to help wingman with me. So I’m not really sure what to do running around my city alone looking for women. It just feels awkward and sometimes I just feel like a creeper so then I just go home. The dynamic now is so much more difficult because of covid too. I feel like some girls are less willing to talk for fear of catching the virus from you or something. Idk its just another excuse I put in my head that affects me.

I feel like I’m getting too old and my time is running out since I’m turning 30. I do try to keep myself in shape though by going to the gym and eating relatively healthy, but no matter how confident I may feel about myself and how I look, I can still never get the courage to approach a girl. I’ve watched multiple videos on YouTube and they all give good advice but I can’t seem to get out of my own head. Maybe I should see a psychologist? Would that help? Not really sure how to break out of my shell here and I’m just tired of being alone.