I have been mathematically gimped due to poor parental choices and a weird set of public school laws in my country that allowed my lazy ass to skip math in high school. I'm effectively as capable as a 12 year old, and realize now how profoundly damaging this has been to my capacity to explore several fields I'm now interested in.

I'm not going to ask for resources since there's plenty out there, however I don't know how to approach a new mode of thinking on my own. It's one thing to learn the theory, practice some steps and then complete some exercises; it's a whole different beast to think mathematically and approach problem solving with a renewed perspective. Is it akin to learning a new language, or have I been fucked for all time? How do you approach something you've never conceptualized before, especially by yourself?