I have had the same issues and there is no other way except to get out there and force yourself to talk to people. I hate talking on the phone too, but with the cost of gas not to mention travel time it is a more efficient (but less effective) way of communicating. I still prefer to write and you can find many other people who are the same way if you wish to stay in your shell. One way is to hang around with a friend who is a social butterfly to enlist their help so that you can learn the techniques. Another way is to get on stage or through comedy -- do something outrageous and put yourself out there. Many stage performers are actually introverted people.

I used to to painfully shy, to the point where I knew that it controlled me. After many years I finally realized all of the things that I was missing. I started slowly by saying hi first to people that I knew (before I would only say hi or good morning after someone said it to me first). Then I progressed to saying hi to people that I regularly passed. Then I got up the nerve to talk to someone in an elevator..about the weather and so on. In otherwords, I slowly progressed to overcome my shyness. Even if I felt uncomfortable I guess I realized that at as long as I like me, it doesn't really matter what others think. Good luck

You can overcome shyness. Yes. Shyness is normal. I am essentially shy, but very few people believe it. You can do it systematically. That does not mean that you will become an extrovert if you are an introvert. Many introverts are very skillful at meeting people and speaking to crowds. They focus on one or two people at a time. Carnegie's classic "How to Win Friends and Influence People" has never been surpassed. This is a must-read for you. Your desire is what will help you. Structure some rewards for yourself. When you enter a room full of people, see the crowd as a group of individuals. You only have to talk to one at a time and you can give that person your undivided attention. Give yourself a lot of space for solitude. Cultivate active listening skills and the ability to ask questions. People will gravitate toward you if they sense that you are interested in them and that they are really being heard. Shy people make wonderful counselors and listeners. Interacting with people here is good practice. I know you can do it!

Hey, this is wonderful that you have reached out. This is very normal, but you don't have to stay like this. Have you every heard of social phobia? It is a very common phobia - some people experience it mildly, and others have it so severely that it takes over their whole lives. I have had this problem my whole life. Some people call it shyness, but it's more than that. At times I would get so bad that not only could I not talk on the phone to people, but I would actually run and hide when the phone would ring, and start having a panic attack. I always really wanted to socialize with people, but when I got around them I would be so scared I couldn't hold a conversation. When I left school, I couldn't hold down a job. I hated myself for it. As an adult, I found out about social phobia, and worked out that it was what was troubling me. Over a number of years I have received treatment in an Anxiety Disorders unit, attended support groups and group therapy, and have learned and practiced a great deal of techniques that help. Now I am engaged, hold down a job that I'm told I'm really good at, attend university, and even go to parties and laugh and joke with people. It's not always easy - I still have setbacks - but mostly I can get on with life in a normal, happy, social way now. You might not be as bad as me, or you might be worse - but you CAN do something about it. Check this out first: http://www.socialanxietysupport.com/liebowitz.php http://www.adaa.org/Public/selftest_socialpho.htm

(seriously) Remember that you won't live forever. Ain't nothin' like the thought of your own imminent death to put social situations in the right perspective! ;-)