I am working on this. I know exactly how you feel. Often for me it is the people who I am most interested in getting to know that I am most afraid to talk to, afraid of making a mistake to ruin any possible relationship that may form. And sometimes I think that, if both people have feelings for one another but both people are afraid in that same way, nothing can ever happen because they won't ever talk, and that is a really sad thing to think about because, hey, what if those two were the soul mates for each other?
It doesn't just have to be within relationships, as in searching for a friend of the opposite gender (partly because you feel like an outcast for not ever having had such a relationship but also because you feel a bit lonely), but that is where I have had the most experience with this issue.
You know how I'm trying to get over it (And by no way have I succeeded yet)? Any relationship that one is afraid making a mistake, and is stressed because he or she does not know what next step to take, whether it would be too much or too slow, is not natural and is probably not a soul mate anyway. And at times this philosophy has caused me to feel even more lonely, yet I still believe it. I currently talk to this girl in Australia, yes, Australia, halfway across the world, who I get along very well with but guess at the practicality of ever meeting her...
Or, ever part of a conversation that you have no interest in, but are afraid of interrupting to excuse yourself or simply leaving because of fear of being rude? Still working on getting over that too. So, I don't really know how helpful this will be to you since I am still trying to get over it too, but I'm here to share in a common experience, and sometimes just venting with those people is a good way to relieve some stress that is building up. Believe that you are heading toward progress, and it should help. But you've really got to believe, convincing yourself. That is the hard part.
