I think you are very capable OneInBillions, I think its just a matter of confidence. Having confidence is what makes you feel more comfortable in your skin and being around others. That's what you should focus on, lifting your own self confidence. Confidence really has nothing to do with the way someone looks. It comes from the inside. It also can be a learned behavior. Just like anything else - such as anxiety, which is also learned as a survival mechanism. You can begin doing small things to get closer to your goals. You don't even need to have a firm goal in mind, just go in the general direction of what you want.

That's what I'm doing. I also suffer from anxiety, and I got home from an interview today that lasted two hours. If you knew how awful my anxiety is on a daily basis, you would think what I did was impossible. I was freaking out in my car while sitting in the parking lot prior to going in. There were 10 mins left til my appointment and I was on the phone with my parent trying to get them to calm me down or ease my nerves. But guess what? The interview went great. The interviewer was very nice and receptive and easy going - they made me feel open and comfortable against all odds. They weren't accusatory or harsh, they were friendly and supportive.

Often times, we assume the worst. We picture all the things that could go wrong. Its always much worse in our thoughts than what actually happens. Those horrible thoughts you have about those interviews? Guess what, the reality of those interviews are going to be over 50% less intimidating than you think. Today the interview was literally 80% better than what I anticipated. I was picturing the worst case scenario, even getting in trouble by the company because of a mistake on my resume - which they didn't even notice! I was picturing them kicking me out - this is how crazy my anxious thoughts were. None of that happened. Everything went great and I connected with the interviewer. We laughed and joked.

Go with the flow. I even told myself before going into the interview that if things got "really bad" I would just stop and tell them "I have an anxiety disorder. I need to go. Sorry to cut this short." I gave myself that option, it helped a lot.