I think probably the best way is to find something that you believe in more than you care about what people think.
I think we have to realise that if we want to be able to talk to others we have to listen to them and be interested in what they are saying. If that is the case you stop listening to yourself. Not everyone on this planet is boring, people love to talk and with an ounce of effort it's easy to listen.
The irony is that I love being around people and having fun, but now I feel lonely and lost. I feel a bit of a looser saying this but in the past year I must have drunk about a billion coffees just because in a cafe i can feel that I'm still part of the real world.
In the last two years I've managed a grand total of three months work. I guess you could say this is close to rock bottom.
But I'm not going to give in. The way I see SA (as long as I can overcome it) is that it may not be all bad. SA for me made me question everything and although much was pointless some wasn't. I'm good at hiding how I feel eventhough I feel like running away from the person I 'm talking to.
Something that helped me (I might possibly be rambling now, so escape if you wish), the three months work that I did (actually two) was fundraising for a charity. Now something anyone knows who's done this job is that people can be rude nasty arseholes. They also have loads of excuses as to why they don't want your charity. So when they gave their first excuse I wouldn't say anything, they'd give another and another and another, until you could see the embarassment in them and they'd give in.
What I'm trying to say is that you don't have to talk to anyone if you don't want to.... even if they're talking to you. See what happens if you ask someone a question and when they answer you say nothing but look them in the eyes. Realise that we must take control and enjoy being in control.
I am 26 years old and I don't want to suffer from this anymore. From tomorrow morning every negative thought I have will be kicked with logic. If I feel like running away from something I'll take it head on. I'm going out to get a job and my life back.