Hey @iwashere , making friends can be pretty hard. I am proud that you've come to this space to ask for help - it's not easy! I am also glad to hear that you've created some distance between yourself and your old friends - you deserve to be surrounded by people who care about you and make you feel good. I can see that this has been tough and a bit lonely, but it is a step in the right direction.
Are you part of any school clubs or extra-cirruculurs? These can be a good way to meet people with similar interests to you. Plus, (speaking as a fellow awkward person), it can be a great conversation opener.
Another way to meet people and make friends is to put yourself out there. I know, I know: scary!! I have a lot of social anxiety so I truly understand how terrifying this piece of advice is ... but I also know that can be very effective. I found that asking people about themselves can be a great way to have a conversation which doesn't involve too much input on your behalf. It makes the other person feel like you're interested in their life (which makes you look a bit more confident than you're probably feeling) and allows you to get to know the person, and maybe feel more comfortable around them. Does this sound like something you could try?
And just a little reminder: most people are nice! Most people are also thinking a lot about themselves, which I've always found to be a helpful reminder when I've been particularly anxious in social situations. For example, if you're thinking, "this is so scary, I can't believe I'm talking to this person, they must think I'm so strange/awkward/etc", the other person is probably thinking, "wow, they seem nice, I'm so glad they started this conversation, I hope I'm interesting". I hope this reminder can help reduce some of the anxiety you're feeling around talking to people you don't know very well.
I've dug through ReachOut's website and I've found a couple of articles that might be interesting. Here's one on how to make friends which has 10 dot-point suggestions and one on how to conquer social awkwardness. If you're feeling lonely, here's an article on things to do.
