This is a revelation I've had in the past year that I thought I'd share here. Personally, I've struggled with social anxiety for much of my life. After some self-discovery in the early part of the year, here is a major realization I've had about my anxiety and unwillingness to communicate with others:

Shyness is an inherent selfishness. Though we are often unaware of it, us people with anxiety often get so caught up in ourselves and how we're being perceived by others that we miss out on a huge truth that allows effective communication: there is a world within each and every person.

Say there's a smoking hot chick that you want to talk to. You probably think some of the following things: what will she think of me? What should I say? Will she think I'm creepy? She's sooooooooo hot.

We get so caught up on these thoughts that we often forget the most important part of human interaction; she is another person.

She's got things that she's proud of. She's fell on hard times. She loves her family. She has dreams. She has flaws. She's afraid of death. Like you, she's had an entire lifetime of unique experience that has shaped who she is.

One of the most helpful things you can do about anxiety is to remember that above all, she is another human.

This works not only with girls but with every person you encounter. Your parents, siblings, celebrities, foreigners, the homeless - though we all experience the same world, we are incredibly unique. Nearly all of the cogs of your consciousness are present in each person you pass in day-to-day life.

Become curious about this. You'll find it's actually incredibly fascinating to compare the different ways that people perceive this world. And once you realize that others experience the same thoughts, fears, struggles, and ambitions as you, it makes it much easier to get outside of your head and form meaningful relationships.