answer:First of all, it might be beneficial to find the root of your social anxiety. You say you used to be fine and comfortable in social situations. So, what changed that? Sometimes if you can identify the root of your fear, it’s easier to overcome it. Or, you may have no idea and feel like there’s no reason to your phobia… which is actually quite common. Anyway, I am 18 years old and I’ve had social anxiety disorder pretty much all of my life that worsened in high school. I also struggle with depression. In my last year of high school, I went to see a psychologist who was trained in cognitive behavioral therapy. Now, I don’t know where you’re from or what kind of coverage you have, but if it’s at all possible for you to have cognitive behavioral therapy with a psychologist, go for it! CBT basically challenges you to change your behavior or attitude towards things through a systematic procedure – and it’s centered around you, so you can work as fast or slow as you want – to reach your goal of getting over your fear. But to be honest, if you’re goal-oriented enough and dead set on getting over this, you could probably do it without a therapist. If you have the money, go to a Chapters or Coles bookstore and pick up a self-help book. I have one called “Shyness and Social Anxiety Workbook: Proven, Step-by-Step Techniques for Overcoming Your Fear”. This book was recommended to me by my psychologist and we used it a lot as a guide while doing my CBT. I found it extremely helpful and I still look at it every now and then – even though I am almost completely over my social phobia! Purchase the book, read through it, fill out the self-assessment tests and analyze your fear(s). Then, with the help of the book, create a plan for change. It will give you a lot of great examples to give you gradual exposure to various social situations that you find difficult. But you have to be willing to put yourself out there. I had a lot of trouble with the ‘embarrassment factor’. Sometimes it was so bad that I’d be afraid to talk out of fear that I’d be laughed at for saying something stupid. I was afraid to wear things in case people thought I looked weird. One of my CBT experiments was to wear something outrageous in public – like a shirt backwards and inside-out paired with bright yellow plaid pants. I’ll admit that it was really awkward walking around the mall knowing how crazy I looked, but I felt so proud of myself afterwards. The book will give you better examples and you don’t have to push yourself into doing something outrageous just yet. Start with small steps, be positive, be yourself and most importantly, remember that not everyone is judging you and the majority of people are not interested in your flaws. Good luck!