In fact, shyness and a moderate level of social anxiety is a common feeling that run through most people. I believe the problem lies in the mind of the person that is experiencing extreme feelings like these. They believe that they are the only ones that feel this way and that they everyone is looking at them and judging them on a constant basis, but this is not always true.

Everyday people don’t live their lives to the fullest because they are fearful of how others view them in their skin, but they shouldn’t because most of the time most people are not paying enough attention to anyone else besides themselves to even think about another person.

However, in the mind of the person with the social anxiety disorder, they believe that everyone is watching and worst, judging them all the time. This feeling is something that really bothers them and they are not able to function in a full capacity in these settings.

If someone wants to overcome these feelings of shyness and social anxiety, then I believe they are going to have to make efforts to talk to crowds and people in a smaller capacity first, then work their way up. Got a small cocktail gathering of a hand full of people until they can be comfortable there, then work their way up until they have grasp and understanding that large gatherings are just a collection of smaller ones all at the same time and if you engage people, they will engage you.

How can you go about naturally treating your social anxiety disorder? (Or perhaps a friend or family member you know who suffers from the condition?) Here are 10 tips that can help you to control the symptoms of anxiety attacks and general anxiety disorder to make steady progress towards happiness.

1. Do not avoid public settings. Even if you’re only eating with a close relative, try and visit public places with people on a regular basis.

2. Try and make it a goal to make eye contact with someone and be the first to say hello. Once a conversation has started it’s relatively easy to keep it going.

3. Prepare for a new conversation in advance. If you’re not sure of what to talk about start reading the newspaper and form an opinion that you would like to share.

4. Give someone, a stranger or acquaintance, a sincere compliment. They will almost always respond favorably!

5. Show an interest in other people. If you are afraid to talk about yourself then ask people about their life; their home life, their relatives and hobbies.

6. Fake your way through a conversation just for the experience. Make a goal of asking someone for help just for the experience of meeting them face to face. For instance, you could ask a retail clerk questions about a product or you could ask a stranger for driving directions.

7. Exercise regularly. Exercise can release endorphins which are like natural pain relievers. This is a much healthier alternative than seeking solace in alcohol or drugs.

8. Set realistic goals and let someone close to you help you achieve them. Remember to smart small, as too many lofty goals all at once may scare you into doing nothing.

9. Learn about yourself and about what frightens you. On your own, or with the help of someone else, determine what some positive defense mechanisms are to counter your worries.

10. Meditate. Meditation could involve anything from repeating stress-relief mantras to deep meditational concentration to even religious prayer. Whatever your choice, this meditation is a healthy form of relieving stress and getting in touch with your inner-peace and reduce symptoms of anxiety attacks.

Truthfully, there is no test in the world that can accurately tell you who you are and what makes you feel the way you feel, but you can find out more about yourself by participating in a social anxiety test than not. Admittedly, they are just questions that make you think about certain situations and how they make you feel, but if you answer them honestly you can gain insight into your social anxiety. Here are 4 questions that we believe sit at the core of the social anxiety test.

1) Do you have problems interacting with groups of people?

Groups of people tend to bother those with social anxiety disorder because they always make them feel inadequate. You are not alone in these feelings if this applies to you, so don’t worry about it.

2) Do you feel like most people are judging you?

In our minds, we always make things out to be larger than they really are and this is no different. I believe it is  normal to feel like other people are talking about you, but you just have to keep on moving. My mother always told me not to worry about other people talking about you….who else would they talk about?

3) Do you feel stress when you are preparing to leave to go to a party?

Stressful feelings when you are heading to a grouping of people are also normal. Most people experience this, but you have to keep yourself moving and going to the function, network and talking to people. Yes, it can be very difficult, but important for your development.

4) Do you avoid crowds and groups of people?

These are four simple questions that can give you some quick insight into your feelings about people, crowds and groups. If you answered yes to any of these questions then you might have a some issues with social anxiety disorder. But don’t panic. This is not the end of the world.