BEING SHY VS. BEING PAINFULLY SHY OR HAVING AN ANXIETY DISORDER

THIS IS AN EMAIL THAT A READER SENT TO ME, I WANTED TO SHARE THIS WITH EVERYONE BECAUSE HER THOUGHTS ARE SHARED BY MANY.

READER:
I just read your blog and I don't think you'll ever stop being shy. Just embrace the person that you are. Who says you have to be assertive and strong to succeed in life? I am impressed by your honesty but feel you'll feel even better if you stop fighting your bashfulness.
Hope I've been helpful.

DIARY OF A SHY BLACK WOMAN:
I don't agree. I am not happy this way. I want to express myself. That is the nature of social anxiety. It's not about being shy...don't let the name of the blog fool you. It's about having debilitating anxiety to the point where I can't live my life. I can't progress. It is a problem. I feel like I am missing a leg. Some people are shy because they choose to be...they don't like to talk...they are reserved. I don't choose this...I somehow became this way from my environment...from the way I was brought up. When I think back to when I was 4 years old, I use to express myself but somewhere around the age of 8 I started to become more scared to express myself. I started to feel inferior.