I am currently 17 years of age. I have had crippling anxiety for almost my entire life. 

I feel as if I am psycho-socially behind my peers as I spent many crucial developmental years of my life at home, away from the social sphere. 

I am scared to go to the shops by myself, to go to restaurants alone and to meet new people. I feel as if I am wholly unprepared to turn 18 next year. 

I don’t know how to drive. I don’t know how to navigate a plethora of different social spheres. I’m scared to go out by myself but I also don’t know what to do when using various public facilities. 

I have no idea how one might use an airport or what I am supposed to do when entering a hair salon for example. 

I have no developmental delays but find social milieu immensely difficult to navigate. 

I’ve attended a gifted school since I was 5 and my whole life revolved around school. I have only recently become privy to the fact that there are other skills, disparate from academic competencies, that one must hone. 

I recently gained admission into the university of my dreams but I am worried about navigating campus life. 

Can anyone provide insights into how I might go about developing the practical like skills that I need to survive in this world? Also, could anyone help with strategies I might use to overcome my anxiety?