There are a lot of people in this world

Well, I know what you guys mean about not knowing how to react, but I have made great progress battling SA in the last couple of months and I'd have to say the best way to handle a situation such as this is just to simply ask them how they're doing. Don't be a stranger to someone you are familiar with. You'll beat yourself up if you do. People love attention. Most people enjoy talking to others. Deep down, I believe we do too. Why else would we have such anxiety about being social if we didn't like talking? We're sad because we can't be social. We want to be social. All you have to do is say hello to someone and the warmth of friendship will wash over you like a nice summer day! There is nothing to fear from being social. We all consider ourselves to be friendly people, correct? Think of social and friendly as synonyms - one and the same. There is nothing but love to be found among those who are speaking. You'll not find hatred among those being social or friendly. Speak and be spoken to, be silent and recieve silence. That's how it is for the most part. You see, I've figured it out. We are just like most people. Those few who are loud and talk a lot when you say just a little are seen as obnoxious. Most people will be silent if you don't respond to them or if you don't talk to them in the first place, you are then seen as being a snob. Which I know we aren't because we long to be included in socializing. If you do say something and respond to them they will gladly speak to you. You will make many friends!

Hopefully, that all makes sense. I've come to these conclusions by keeping a journal. I write down not only what I did that day, but also things I did socially that I considered rude and unfriendly. I then wrote down what I could do to correct that and put it into action. I highly suggest keeping a journal such as this. You'll be surprised how much you have to say to your journal and also discover things to say to your new friends!