How can I improve myself?

Assalamu alaikum. I could go on about the struggles I've been through, but I want to focus on what matters right now. Growing up, my parents weren’t really around. My mother is here now, but she stays distant from my life. I got caught up in some harmful habits early on-starting at nine and then again at fourteen. My mother actually discouraged me from praying at the masjid when I was young, so my salah has been weak, and those addictions make it even harder. She also used to stop me from joining any activities that involved speaking or performing in front of people. In high school, I started seeing problems pile up. I’m very awkward socially-some guys even joke I might be on the spectrum. I can’t handle confrontation and public speaking terrifies me. My heart races, I stammer, and it feels like I mess up every conversation. It’s hard to connect with anyone. I know my thoughts are a bit everywhere, but honestly, I want to get closer to Allah first, then fix my social skills, especially with university coming up. If I don’t work on these two things now, I’ll struggle a lot in uni and my future job, insha’Allah. I know where I’ve gone wrong. I keep turning back to Allah in tawbah, I read books on better communication, and I try to go out more. But I’m at a tough spot and really need advice from someone who has actually been through this and found a way out. (Just a heads up, this was translated by AI from Arabic, so please excuse any language slips.)