Greetings, brothers.

I come here to seek help from fellow men who have reconstructed themselves. I am 31 and despite my years I have not grown inwardly. I am weak. I say that because I know. My experiences in life and my inability to retort has rendered me this way. I am a shell of a man and I want to fix myself. How do I grow out of being a coward? How do I learn to respond to people who are verbally abusive? I feel ignorant in a lot of fields and I don't know where to start.

How do I become stronger and more assertive? How can I respond without becoming angry or shutting myself in? I stutter when I speak, sometimes. My hands shake too. In my head I hear words that put me down in voices of people I no longer interact with. Trying to forget past grievances is nearly impossible for me. Is there anyone out there who has build themselves ground up? I feel less of a man when I look in the mirror.

Help.