Rational thinking changes the way the brain operates physiologically. Cognitive therapy helps us to think more rationally.
https://www.socialanxietyinstitute.org/permanent-changes-brain-and-rational-credit

In the Social Anxiety community forum, Dave tells of his life and about overcoming social anxiety:

http://forum.socialanxietyinstitute.org/t/my-life-with-sa-and-how-im-starting-to-overcome-it/95

http://forum.socialanxietyinstitute.org

Shyness and social anxiety are not the same thing.  Recent research confirms they are two different conditions.

https://www.socialanxietyinstitute.org/shyness-or-social-anxiety-disorder

Remind yourself to slow down/calm down so that you can control your adrenaline and cortisol.

https://www.socialanxietyinstitute.org/social-anxiety-adrenaline-cortisol-slow-and-steady

The new social anxiety forum is up and running.   Everyone is welcome to read and participate. 
Our goal is to stay proactive and help each other overcome social anxiety.
 Go to:

http://forum.socialanxietyinstitute.org

We have several dozen practical cognitive strategies, that when acted upon, help people overcome social anxiety. As you make progress, less anxiety in one area means less anxiety in other areas, too.

https://socialanxietyinstitute.org/control-life-cognitive-therapy-social-anxiety-disorder

Too much thinking (overthinking) and too much trying to figure out why we are "this way" (overanalyzing) keeps us stuck in the vicious circle of social anxiety. Stop all the attention you're paying to your thoughts and get your thoughts focused on something else. Be proactive!

https://www.socialanxietyinstitute.org/focus-externally

We can relax and calm ourselves down anytime. It's hard to do at first, but as you keep focusing on calm, peaceful things, it becomes easier.
Calmness is the opposite of anxiety. 

https://www.socialanxietyinstitute.org/importance-calmness-when-doing-therapy

"Overcoming Social Anxiety" means learning to face situations that cause great amounts of fear and anxiety -- without having anxiety about them any more. Thousands of people live life now free of the bonds of social anxiety
https://socialanxietyinstitute.org/jim

Each one of us is valuable and deserves respect from ourselves and others. Open your brain up to rational thinking if you have a hard time accepting this. Only by keeping an open mind can you find out what is really true and really accurate.

https://socialanxietyinstitute.org/acting-assertively

Join in, put yourself out there, step by step; other people are not as rejecting as you think. In therapy, we prove this out to ourselves.
https://www.socialanxietyinstitute.org/Using%20Behavioral%20Techniques%20to%20Find%20the%20Truth

Keeping positive with your attitude helps you take necessary steps. Get up, get active, put yourself in a better mood.

https://socialanxietyinstitute.org/why-it-important-work-your-therapy-when-you-are-relatively-calm-and-when-you-are-good-mood

One way of reducing anxiety is to take the initiative and talk to other people first. This is paradoxical because it seems that taking the initiative would cause more anxiety. Try it, though, and you'll find that your anxiety goes down when you take the initiative and greet other people first. This is because you've taken control of your emotions, and the rational you has DONE something that directly opposes social anxiety. It's what you DO that changes your life.
https://www.socialanxietyinstitute.org/avoidance-our-worst-enemy

Calming ourselves down is the first step toward overcoming social anxiety. Therapists should teach short, workable ways to do this. You are in control of your brain, not the other way around. All that you may be missing is the understanding that you CAN calm yourself down in anxiety-provoking situations.
https://www.socialanxietyinstitute.org/importance-calmness-when-doing-therapy

When I had social anxiety and pulled up to a traffic light, my self-consciousness would go on high alert and I was so self-conscious that I couldn't look around. I just knew that other people were looking at me and judging me, that they didn't like me for some reason. I tensed up my muscles and endured the anxiety, which would give me a headache if it happened too much. Being on display or feeling that everyone is staring at you negatively is always irrational. In therapy, we get you to prove to yourself what is actually true in a situation, and what isn't. For example, IS everyone in the room looking at you and do they have hateful expressions on their faces? You'll never know until you look around and find out the truth (i.e., what is rational in this situation).
https://socialanxietyinstitute.org/top-10-list-feelings-social-anxiety-causes

High levels of self-consciousness, a symptom of social anxiety, is irrational and unnecessary. We must learn to prove this out to ourselves. Self-consciousness is irrational. These feelings are not based on rational fact. https://socialanxietyinstitute.org/mike

Focus externally on other people and other circumstances in your life. Stay away from going into your head and worrying, doubting, and fearing. Focusing externally allows you to calm yourself down and pay attention to the present moment. Focusing externally reduces anxiety and helps us get into the habit of paying attention to other things instead of our internal, negative, irrational thoughts. https://www.socialanxietyinstitute.org/focus-externally