I was diagnosed with Social Anxiety Disorder last year. Unfortunately it went undiagnosed for a long time and I gradually distanced myself from people. My way of dealing with it was to sit at home alone and play video games all the time. Most of my "social interaction" was online, which felt much safer and less panic-inducing. And whenever I had to be around people, I'd ALWAYS wear noise-cancelling earphones and listen to music to drown them out.

I don't recommend this approach, as I'm now 29, unemployed, with no friends or social life to speak of. And now I'm terrified of even attempting to get back into society.