Social anxiety is best defined as an extreme fear or avoidance of social interaction.
It is a common mental illness that affects 1 in every 5 adults.
For some people, their social anxiety (SA) can be so bad that it:

• Stops them from making new friends.
  
• Makes them incapable of finding a loved one.
  
• Make it incredibly difficult to find employment or sustain a job.
  
• Leads to low self-esteem and depression.
  
• Leads to social isolation - an extreme avoidance of social situations.
  
• Uncomfortable feelings in public (such as at school or in a store).
  
• In extreme cases, SA can also drive people to commit suicide.
  

As you can see, social anxiety can be a very serious illness for many people.
It can really inhibit you from living your life to your fullest potential.
If you notice yourself experiencing symptoms of SA for extended periods of time, it is very important that you see potential solutions, such as seeing a therapist or investing in a self-help workbook to help you better manage your SA.
The important thing is that you begin treating your condition before it gets worse.
SA has a tendency to become a vicious negative cycle.
The more we let it build up and affect our habits, the deeper it gets ingrained into our lives.
In order to overcome your SA, you need to start reversing this negative cycle.
But it takes work, and the progress doesn't just happen over night.
Some things you can do include:

• Exposure therapy - gradually exposure yourself to situations that elicit social anxiety until you become more familiar with them.
  
• Cognitive therapy - watch your thoughts and beliefs and how they may affect your emotions and behavior.
  Often people with SA foster negative beliefs about themselves that need to be substituted with more healthy beliefs.
  
• Educate yourself - learn the potential causes of your anxiety.
  By better understanding your condition, you will have an easier time getting over it.
  
• Practice, practice, practice.
  - you need to stay dedicated and keep practicing overcoming your SA.
  Improving your social life should be a never-ending process.
  Keep getting better and better!

These are some key things to keep in mind if you are someone who is just starting to do research on social anxiety and how you can overcome it.
If you wish to learn more about what you can do TODAY, please check out this very informative article on The Shyness and Social Anxiety System.