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Is there a disorder responsible for a lack of social skills? How can i solve it?

I don't have the money, nor the time to go see a psychologist, so i thought it could help to ask it here. It's quite long, but i'd really appreciate it if you helped me. Basically, I have a problem of excessive self-consciousness, incredibly poor social skills and I don’t know why or what I can do about it. Having to interact with unknown people makes me so uneasy i tend to avoid social situations. I also have a very hard time looking into people's eyes when talking to them as i don't know what they could possibly be thinking about. My hugest fear is my mind going blank during a conversation. When this happens i just feel like sinking into the ground and never seeing the person again. What is there to say anyway? How come there are people who always have something to say, even when they’re conversing with unknowns? How do they do that? Because of this fear, i also avoid conversing with unknowns, acquaintances and even family members sometimes or I talk with people who talk a lot so that it wouldn’t be necessary for me to say anything. I also don't like going to unfamiliar places on my own. For example, if I’m told to go buy something at a nearby shop into a town I don’t know, I can’t ask for directions (that'd mean talking to people, and you already know i'm bad at that) and just guess which shop it is once I’m there without fearing being mistaken. No, I need things to be carefully planned, I need the person to explain me exactly what route or what public transport I have to take, I need him/her to tell me what the shop looks like (whether it’s big/small, what color it is, etc.) and I need him/her to tell me what I have to say to the vender. If something doesn’t go in accordance to the plan, like if the shop is a different color than what I’ve been told or if the vender tells me (s)he doesn’t have what I’m looking for, I find myself panicking, not knowing what to do or say because that was something I wasn’t prepared for. I’m just really bad at handling unpredictable situations, it’s like I can’t think on my own. I’ve been told I often look very stupid because of that. I don’t know if my intelligence could be the cause, but I’ve always understood things as well as the next person and my grades have always been okay. I just work better when I’m alone, in my own world where I feel secure and have control over everything. Is that some kind of disorder I have? How can heal from it? Any advice? I'd also like to add that my behavior only started to become problematic when adolescence started. I was very outgoing and social when i was little. I have no idea of why i changed.

Public Comments

1. That sounds like social anxiety. I've had social anxiety. It's just when someone's natural biological fear of the unknown and new things, is in overdrive. There are only so many new experiences in life, before situations start to repeat themselves. For you, it will take a little longer to become comfortable, but you can do it. You were probably socialable and outgoing as a child, because you felt safe, and wasn't afraid. Deep down you are still like that, you are just not the real you when you are afraid. I made some youtube videos on my social anxiety, and there are a lot of other ones on youtube.
2. Just sounds like you are really shy, why not just really push yourself and put yourself into social situations, join some book clubs or other light social situations. You just need to get back into the game, try taking up a new hobby each month, join a gym and force yourself to say hello to someone new each day, if it feels really awkward, do not worry, the more you do it the more you will get used to it, hiding away will do you no favors, I used to be the same and still do not like having to be around new people and I am 37, you just have to push yourself each and every day