Struggling to talk to women and it is driving me crazy

I would not say I have extreme anxiety and I am not completely introverted, but there is this one problem I just cannot get rid of. I simply cannot talk to women, and it is really getting on my nerves.

For example, last time I was at the gym working out like usual, a woman came up to me and asked for a certain handle. I completely panicked. What came out was something like:

“Ye… uh… why n… uh… sure… uh…”

You get the idea. In the end I just awkwardly nodded and walked away. Honestly, that is not normal behaviour for a 20 year old.

Another time, at a birthday party, I came out of the bathroom and there were a few girls from my old high school standing in the corridor. Instead of just asking to pass through, I got so nervous that I walked into the kitchen to avoid having to say anything.

The strange thing is, sometimes I can talk to women normally without a problem, but most of the time I turn into a complete mess.

I really want to get over this, but I do not know how. My idea was to start by talking to strangers, giving small compliments and maybe starting a conversation.

Has anyone here dealt with something like this? How did you manage to overcome it?