accept who you are. Love yourself.... that is the begginning

Hi, Kirsten.I know it's hard, but not impossible.Sometimes you have to stop worrying about what others may say or think and just do what you want or need to do.Sometimes you need to ask yourself ," Why can't I.......?and go for it. I've found that when I think about something too much I become nervous and can't do it.Sometimes you have to take a chance...Anyway , take it one step at a time and think positive.
Hope this helps. : )

i'll echo what the others have said. for me a huge step was realising there's nothing wrong with being shy. i'm not a loser, a freak etc etc that i kept telling myself. it's okay if i don't feel like talking and it's okay if i just say a few words. and i have as much right to be there as anyone else has, whether or not i say anything. i've found that to really take the pressure off me when i'm around other people and help me feel more like putting my 2 cents in now and then. anyway i wish you well as you keep working through this. you can do it.

I've also been shy my whole life. When I desided I way tired of just being known as "da shy 1" I found a great social club which I'm now a member of and not only am I meeting new ppl but I'm also coming out of my shell slowly but surely.

Shyness is a learned behavior for me. I'm naturally outgoing, so the shyness defies it. My natural outgoingness and my learned shyness are always causing me to fight with myself. Sometimes my shyness wins, sometimes my outgoingness wins. I guess that means that you can learn outgoingness in the right situation.

I go to telephone support groups for social anxiety (they are free, they are provided by Social Anxiety Anonymous), I've been helped a lot by the way, www.healsocialanxiety.com

Sometimes I feel the same way! I just wish it would all go away and I could wake up to be the social butterfly I wish I were. But I am almost positive that's my problem. I wish I were someone else so this keeps me from loving myself and trusting myself, which is making me shy! It is like a vicious circle. Shyness isn't a bad personality trait, it is a learned habit. You are toning yourself down without knowing it by overthinking everything. I guess the only thing I could say to give support is to try to accept yourself and know that you are you, and you are wonderful the way you are and what others think doesn't matter. =]

I know how you feel chica! There is hope though, you are so right you have to work towards fighting the shyness. Put yourself in uncomfortable situations that pushes your boundaries to open yourself up to others. For me, it used to take so much effort to even have small talk with others, but the more you do it the easier talking to others becomes. Practice practice, and then one day you'll feel confident enough to branch out of small talk and into your interests, opinions, the good stuff, and you'll be so much more confident! Keep on truckin'. Yanno what helped me, a self help book: Goodbye To Shy. Good luck! :)

Figure out the things you like to do and go do them. Do them in a group if you can find one. Try to focus on the thing you're interested in. Also remember that all of the other people there are fragile. We're all amazingly fragile. When you look at people remember you are equals. Also try to treat other people in a friendly way, as you would like to be treated. If you focus on their fragileness, you may forget your fears.

Also remember your own goodness. Do something fun for yourself afterwards as a reward. Blessings to you, and good luck on your journey.