Face it, we're all shy at times. It's when this starts to become a habit that the problem sets in - we start to go about our lives with the intent of avoiding people and places where our shyness will show. Try out some of these tips on overcoming shyness and social anxiety.

1. Build up your confidence levels

There's got to be something you're good at, better than most other people. Build on the confidence you have with this. And realize that if you can be confident in one situation, you're actually perfectly capable of transferring that confident feeling into other situations. You may not believe me on that, so try it in a situation where it doesn't matter whether it works or not. You'll be pleasantly surprised by the result.

2. Don't act so weird

You could be bringing it on yourself by acting odd. Think how geeks are portrayed in movies - they're always uncomfortable in situations involving other humans but quite at home playing World of Warcraft and interacting with imaginary creatures - or people pretending to be imaginary creatures. Try to act more "normal", wear clothes that don't stand out and make you look like you just grabbed the first things you came across in your wardrobe whether they worked together or not.

3. Be brave occasionally

You already know the boundaries of your comfort zone. Push them - you created these boundaries, so you can push through them. After all, they're just a figment of your overactive imagination anyway.

4. Stop thinking you're second best

You may not be able to chase a ball around a field like some sportsmen (and lots of dogs!) but that doesn't mean that you're automatically second best. We all have different skills, which is a good thing otherwise society would be far too one-sided. There will be something you excel at. Find it, capitalize on it, extend that feeling of "wow" to other areas of your life and see just how big a difference that makes.

5. Success breeds success

A cliche, sure. But it's also a truism. With each small increase in confidence you should find yourself getting slightly braver. Situations that you'd previously have taken a hundred mile detour to avoid won't seem quite as problematic. Chipping away at the edges of your shyness will have a disproportionate effect. And once you get below the 50% shy stage you'll find your shyness really starts to melt away.