Asking a stranger for directions is practice for asking bigger questions later. Start with small asks.

Asking for help is a skill with a difficulty setting, and most people try to begin at the hard end. Small requests teach you that asking is survivable and that people mostly respond well, which is the part fear keeps insisting will go badly. Directions cost nothing and are over in thirty seconds. The repetitions matter more than the content of any single ask.

Find one small thing to ask a stranger for this week. A question in a shop, a recommendation, the time. The bigger asks later will still be hard, but they will not be your first attempt.