Dear Diana,
I'm a single mother with a 24-year-old daughter. She suffers from extremely low self-esteem. She's beautiful, clever and kind, but has always struggled to make friends. She's okay with people she knows, but gets uncomfortable with new people or new situations and will often walk away from a new job or a new friend as she prefers to be alone. She also doesn't do any of the normal stuff 24-year-olds do.
— Grace


Illustration/Amit Bandre 

Dear Grace,
Your daughter is shy and an introvert, so she gets uncomfortable with people around. You say that she is okay with people she knows that is because she is familiar with them and knows how they will react. As you say you are a single mother and she is the only child, you may have been overprotective about her. Or perhaps she has an inherent fear or trauma. Talk to her about it and accordingly, you can seek counselling to overcome her fears.