"Just the thought of going around new people is enough to give me a stomach ache and a racing heart!" If these words sound too painfully familiar, then read this article to get 4 tips for practical social anxiety self help.
Social Anxiety is more than simple shyness.
Everyone feels shy at some time in their lives.
Social anxiety however is crippling to the extent it prevents you from engaging in a normal social life.
But take heart because there is a way to feel better.
It is possible to overcome and leave behind this debilitating condition.
Shyness is a natural self-consciousness arising in unsure social settings.
Shyness feelings gradually fade as you get comfortable with the situation, and normal feelings of comfort will return after the ice has broken.
Social anxiety however tends to worsen and become self feeding.
It begins with fearful thoughts, usually about how you look, stumbling over what to say, and a fear of embarrassing yourself to such an extent that others will reject you as a social failure.
This fear of rejection can build into stomach pains, racing heart, wobbly legs, sweating, blushing, and can even catapult you into a full on panic attack.
At this point normal social interactions have become impossible.
Often you just leave the social setting, and develop avoidance habits, slipping into isolation driven by negative opinions of yourself, fear of the anxiety you feel in groups, and feelings that you are simply not as good as others, you're weird, different, an outcast.
This painful condition can lead to serious losses, both personal and professional.
There is help! Be compassionate with yourself.
Just as you would with anyone suffering such misery.
Here are 4 tips for social anxiety self-help.

1. Tell those you trust what you are experiencing, and about your decision to tackle this limiting problem.
   This is valuable for 2 reasons: first, isolation is a big part of the problem, and giving trusted others the chance to help, alleviates this isolation so you do not have to go it alone.
   Second, you will find that these trusted others care about you, and this will help to challenge your negative self judgements.
   
2. Get a checkup! Make sure your symptoms are not physical in origin.
   There is nothing to be gained by trying to treat something physical with a non-physical approach.
   Low thyroid, hormone imbalances, menopause...
   such can cause emotional upsets which can be helped with medical treatment.
   Eliminate physical symptoms first.
   
3. Support Groups: Joining a support group helps many aspects of social anxiety.
   Finding others who experience and understand your problems is a big relief.
   You will discover that you are not strange, weird, the odd one.
   And the safety of the support group will help you to start recovering a comfort and confidence in a social setting.
   You will learn to converse and interact with more confidence.
   
4. Self-Help Programs: There are many proven social anxiety self help programs in the form of tapes, videos and instructional training that allow you to go it at your own pace.
   With the advent of the internet, it is possible to do very good research on your own to find what you believe will be the right program for your needs.
   

Don't let the misery of social anxiety limit you from a healthy, happy, social life any longer.
Take it seriously and don't dismiss it as shyness, or just the way you are fated to be.
You can feel better soon! Make the decision to take control of your life now and do what you need to overcome and leave behind limiting social anxiety now.