[PureStorm]

Hi,

I'm collecting key phrases for you:

I have tried to get with a few girls since then by using the advice of 'be yourself'

get friend zoned

Being yourself is generally a good advice, but only if you 'yourself' are attractive. If you are not attractive, you will not be attractive 'being yourself'. I had to tweak my personality a lot, faking, faking. Then becoming it. I became attractive, and since then I'm myself again. And that helps me find the right partners - no lies, no agenda, no small prints. I can be genuinely honest and direct and be myself. I couldn't do that if I hadn't learned how to be attractive and faking that until I became it.
Since women friend zone you, I assume you just are not really attractive to them which is why "being yourself" won't help. I'm not telling you to play a completely different person though. Just find out what attractive traits are in men, consciously try to be that attractive man, and eventually you'll do it without trying. Then you can be yourself. Makes sense?

Ive also been called picky

Good. Pickiness and having high standards is an attractive trait. But: the higher your standard, the more you have to bring to the table yourself and the harder to find she will be.

overthink everything and find it hard to talk to them face to face

One leads to the other. Directly. Thoughts like "what will she think of me if I say that?" "will she laugh about this joke" will create a blockade in your brain. The void will come - and then, yes, you won't know what to say, plus the woman will get the feeling you aren't really listening to her (cause you aren't, you're in your head). So what you want to do is get rid of them. Up for trying daily meditation? It solved that problem for me once and for all.

once i meet them i become shy and cant think of anything to say to them and it really does annoy me because no matter how much i try i just cant change that about me, and im not very confident anyway

Shyness is a state of mind, not a personality trait. Meaning you can in fact change it. Exposure therapy helps you get over shyness and anxiety. With good reference points/experience comes confidence. Confidence is situational competence, it's not universal. You simply lack experience so you're unconfident in this area, normal. Keep going.
There's also momentum you can use to overcome shyness. If you force yourself to become really social for some time, you will become that social person and will feel comfortable being it as long as the momentum lasts (until the next day for example).

People keep saying that i need to wait

Hold on for a sec. You have probably gotten that advice from women. Women's and men's dating lives are fundamentally different. They don't consider that while many women have trouble finding the "right one", most guys have problems finding anyone at all, lol. Women (most, not all) expect everything to fall into their lap when it comes to dating. Advising a man to remain passive shows that the person doesn't really have an idea of male's dating lives or role. Most men who remain passive stay lonely. Be active, put yourself out there.

after i become friends with them i dont really know how to take it any further

This is an important lesson: if you become "just friends" with a woman, there's almost no way out. There have to be attractive sparks all the time in the process, otherwise you'll get friend zoned (=rejected as a lover).

getting bullied/ made fun of for liking them (cause thats what people are like at my school).

They will laugh at you all the while wishing to be you. Wishing to have your balls. Acts of superiority come from a feeling of inferiority.