I suffer chronic social phobia and only feel "safe" when wearing dark glasses and whilst in my birth country, I managed to cope, but it is a WHOLE different ball game now, since moving to France, where I am mentally crippled
I HATE the thought of being looked at and go into surreal mode when I have to pass people! I cannot shake this sense of unreality when walking on my own, even if it is to our bins and feel so demoralised!
This year, I took courage and went back to the UK on my own, but still could not visit shops on the ferry and on the way back, despite my tummy hurting, with the need to eat, I could not, for the life of me, open up my cabin door and go and eat. Instead, curled up and cried myself to sleep with utter shame.
I will always be this way, I am trying to face it. But that is not the same for everyone, for I know some who have got passed it and one, is a very good friend of mine!
The first step, I guess is to find out, why you are afraid of people? And go from there.