[chrisco255]

I used to be shy when I was a teenager and only started to break out of my shell once I got sales and customer service jobs. These jobs taught me how to interact with a wide range of people. And my success as a sales person was literally tied to my people skills, so I learned that way.

I would say, anything you're irrationally afraid of (that isn't literally dangerous), you should consciously seek out and force yourself into situations.

I remember when I was younger I was conscious of the fact that I was socially awkward, and the awareness of that just fed into my social interactions.

[DecayingOrganic]

As another shy, socially awkward person, I must say that getting professional help is definitely worth it.

If you find that you can't break this wall yourself, don't be afraid to ask for help.

[fetus8]

By professional help do you mean therapy?

[DecayingOrganic]

Sure, including but not limited to only therapy. For my case, Cognitive Therapy helped me a great deal with both depression and social anxiety.

It's just when you are not social, you may be reluctant to ask for help when it's actually needed the most.