Hi all, new biker here.

I used to mountain bike on trails years ago, but recently started to bike again. This time around I decided to go Hybrid since I am older and going to be riding with my wife most of the time.

We usually load up the bikes and go to the local park where there is a paved loop trail and also lots of grass area.

But I am trying to find the confidence of hitting the real roads. I went out today to try some roads with minimal traffic. Here in my town, there is no such things as bike lanes
But some roads don't have much traffic and some major highways have a very wide shoulder beyond the white line (Another reason I like my hybrid cause it can handle the sometimes rough shoulder)

But some roads have high traffic, and almost no shoulder...these are the ones that scare me. I feel like I would be hindering traffic or something (I know I shouldn't feel this way as a biker)

So any advice on how to get over the fear of high-traffic areas?