Talk to people about things you enjoy , but have your own point of view ,
add humor , but dont make yourself the butt of the joke.

I would say don't try to put too much pressure on yourself. The minute you do that you may start to feel overwhelmed. Have you ever thought about taking debate in school? It is a class designed to help you speak in public. It is just an idea. Otherwise I would say to take it one day at a time. Try to express yourself a little more around those you feel most comfortable with and then widen your audience gradually.

Understand that there are some people who don't do well with crowds and you do not have to force yourself to like them. The goal is to be comfortable in your own skin. A lot of time social anxiety has to do with the feeling that you are not good enough or that others think you are not good enough, or your conversation is unimportant or that you do not add anything to the group. Basically you may feel judged all the time.

I think that this feeling will lessen as your confidence about who you are grows. Talking to yourself may help. Reminding yourself of your intelligence and capability may make you realize that your input is important and that people actually enjoy your company. Just my thoughts....

I hope this helps!

Hmmm. I had that issue for many years (alot of my adult life also), but I eventually outgrew it.

There is no easy way unfortunately. Go easy on yourself. My theory is that children raised in homes where criticism was rampant and where you were constantly judged and not accepted for who you were affects you later in life. Take walks, do things that excite you and focus on what you like. Become immersed in an activity you like and share your common interests with others.

I would suggest that you need to re socialise yourself. It is just a matter of learning a new behaviour pattern. Do not throw yourself out in to the most crowded area and give yourself a panic attack. However go somewhere that is relatively quiet but still has people walking past you. Slowly increase this until you can be in busier areas with out having the anxiety.
If people step in to your comfort area as them to step back a little bit. Although I would not imagine you will have to deal with this unless you bump in to some one you know.

Social anxiety takes gradual re-conditioning to overcome. Don't resort to drugs, as these have many unintended consequences, and rarely attack the root of the problem. Instead, try to interact with other people on a more frequent basis.

You can begin by talking with relatives and friends who already know you. Visit them more often, and you might try broadening your social circle by interacting with people you know. This helps you slowly ease outward, and broaden your social horizons, without snatching away the feeling of having a safety zone.

Later, try to attend engagements that interest you. Activity groups, conventions, parties, etc. are a great way to interact with new people in a casual way. Judge the size of the group that's best for you based on your comfort level. Then, try to engage people who seem interesting or who you think you have something in common with. Conquering this type of anxiety isn't easy, but it can be done with persistence.

Social Anxiety is common problem and can not be entirely "cured". You can, however, work to improve your social skills by forcing yourself to engage with people more often and you will see that your fear of people will lessen over time. Also, there are many medications that can help curb your anxiety. See a psychiatrist and discuss with him or her some possible solutions.

I was able to get over much of my social anxiety by entering the retail business. Retail forces you to get out there and greet people and talk to them. If you start in a smaller store, you can ease yourself into it, because there are fewer people that walk in. It can really help to bring you out of your shell, though. I think I came out of my shell the most when I worked at a store that sold things I was interested in, because it gave me something that I could talk to the customers about.

I've reached a point where I can talk to most people, although it took me several years. I'd been shy all my life and didn't come out of my shell until I was over 35. Now I am better about talking to people than I was, but it was not easy, and I still get butterflies every once in a while.

Firstly, having a great person to work with you on getting over your social anxiety is a great place to start. If you do not like thinking about counselling, there are a lot of groups you can attend with other people who have the same problem. Talking about it with a support group is a good way to talk about it with individuals who understand how you feel. The group leader will guide the group and help everyone get past the anxiety on being in social setting. A great way to find a support group is to check bulletin boards whenever you have a doctor's appointment. Or, if you are rather healthy, and have no need to visit a physician there isn't anything wrong with going into your community hospital, and go to the lunch area there should be bulletins posted in the cafeteria.

If you don't like the idea of going to a community hospital, the grocery store always have boards with so many postings of different activities, and events. If the idea of looking at bulletin boards doesn't work for you. It is really easy to pick up your local penny saver you will be surprised at what you will find ads for in your local penny saver, or community paper.