I’m 33. I felt, and feel, a lot of what you wrote. What the first commenter says is correct: it’s a mental block more than anything. For me, missing out on life was much more agonizing than being laughed at. Put yourself out there. Fear is not to be afraid of. Once you’re more comfortable with it, others will be too. We’re stuck with it, but we don’t have to focus on it. And that’s coming from a severe stutterer who pursued and attained his dream career of being a writer. You can do it. We are with you.