Hi! I was wondering what could be the cause of bad social skills because mine are really REALLY bad. It's why I avoid talking to people. Even with my friends I can't have a normal conversation. I just say random things in hope of catching attention.
I've been trying to imitate other people when it comes to responses, but it ends up sounding forced and unnatural. But I don't know what to say myself. I feel like my texting is okay because I put a lot of thought into my responses. However, you're on the spot in real, interpersonal interactions and it's super hard and mentally draining. I can do simple questions asking my about myself like "what school do you go to", "age", etc. Otherwise it's bad.

Not sure how to fix this, or what it means for me, or who to talk to. What do you think? (i'm 17 btw, college freshman so I'm always surrounded by people)