Chosen by experienced facilitators.
Practical Tools, Real Relief.
Hand-picked guides and insights to help you understand social anxiety and start changing how it feels.
Books that bring comfort, clarity, and courage.
These books are carefully chosen by SAI facilitators for their clarity, compassion, and practical value. You don’t have to read them all even one can shift how you see anxiety.
Overcoming Social Anxiety and Shyness.
2nd Edition: A self-help guide using cognitive behavioural techniques
Dr Gillian Butler provides a practical, easy-to-use self-help course which will be invaluable for those suffering from all degrees of social anxiety.
The Shyness and Social Anxiety Workbook
3rd Edition: Proven, Step-by-step Techniques for Overcoming Your Fear
Proven, evidence-based techniques to overcome social anxiety and shyness, build confidence, and engage comfortably in everyday life.
How to Be Yourself
Quiet Your Inner Critic and Rise Above Social Anxiety
Dr. Ellen Hendriksen reveals how to quiet your inner critic, rewire anxious habits, and uncover the confident self you already have within.
Dare
The New Way to End Anxiety and Stop Panic Attacks
Barry McDonagh’s DARE method offers a science-backed, step-by-step way to eliminate anxiety and panic naturally transforming fear into confidence and freedom, anytime, anywhere.
The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook
Essential resource for people struggling with anxiety and phobias
Barry McDonagh’s DARE method offers a science-backed, step-by-step way to eliminate anxiety and panic naturally transforming fear into confidence and freedom, anytime, anywhere.
Diagonally Parked in a Parallel Universe
Working Through Social Anxiety
A practical, research-based guide written with humour by a former social phobic to help you overcome social anxiety, build confidence, and reach your full potential in everyday life.
Managing Social Anxiety
Workbook A Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Approach
An evidence-based CBT workbook with practical tools, worksheets, and examples to help you manage social anxiety and improve daily life on your own or with a therapist.
What You Must Think of Me
A Firsthand Account of One Teenager's Experience with Social Anxiety Disorder
A candid, hopeful memoir for teens facing social anxiety combining Emily Ford’s real-life journey with expert insights and practical tools to overcome fear, seek help, and reclaim confidence.
Mindfulness and Acceptance Workbook
Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to Free Yourself from Fear and Reclaim Your Life
A proven ACT-based guide to face social fears, build flexibility, and connect with others through mindfulness and practical tools.
Painfully Shy
How to Overcome Social Anxiety and Reclaim Your Life
A practical, compassionate guide from Drs. Barbara and Greg Markway to understand, manage, and overcome social anxiety helping you rebuild confidence and take control of your life.
For when you want to go deeper.
Research-based reading for those who like to understand the “why” behind social anxiety. Curated by our facilitators to keep learning grounded in evidence.
Mindfulness
A Practical Guide to Finding Peace in a Frantic World
A globally acclaimed guide to mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, showing how simple daily practices can break cycles of stress and anxiety and restore lasting calm and balance.
Peace Is Every Step
The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life
Thich Nhat Hanh’s Peace Is Every Step teaches how mindful awareness in everyday moments can transform stress into joy, nurture inner calm, and inspire peace in the world around us.
Talks and films that help you see social anxiety differently.
Each of these talks, interviews, and documentaries explores social anxiety from a different angle from science to lived experience. Watch whatever feels easiest to start with.
Is Social Anxiety Getting You Down?
Aware // Dr. Odhran McCarthy
Real Life Stories.
Social Anxiety Ireland // ESB
The link between social anxiety and depression.
Aware // Dr. Odhran McCarthy
The Art of Mental Health.
First Fortnight // Dr. Odhran McCarthy - Post-Show Conversation
Social Anxiety Disorder.
Osmosis from Elsevier
CBT for Social Anxiety Disorder.
Judith Johnson
Self-help Series for Social Anxiety. (Part 1 of 9)
Magnus Nordmo
Overcoming Social Anxiety.
Cognilead
Found a video that helped? Let us know, we often add new ones.
Resource FAQs
Still have questions? You’re not alone. These are the ones we hear most often and the answers that help most.
Yes. All materials are based on established psychological research.
Self-help can reduce mild anxiety. For lasting change, most people benefit from structured support such as group treatment or guided CBT.
If you want understanding, start with a personal story. If you want tools, choose CBT-based guides like Overcoming Social Anxiety and Shyness.
Shyness is occasional discomfort in social settings. Social anxiety is a recognised mental health condition that can disrupt daily life and relationships.
Yes. Around one in eight adults experience it at some point — it’s far more common than most people think.
Yes. Many of them use simple, relatable language. Links such as SpunOut.ie and MyMind offer youth-specific support.
No. Not as yet! SAI provides group-based treatment and education, not private therapy. You can still use these materials while waiting for, or considering, the group.
Absolutely. They’re designed for both people experiencing anxiety and those who want to understand and help.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is one of the most researched and effective treatments for social anxiety. Many of our recommended resources are CBT-informed.
Take breaks. You don’t need to absorb everything at once. Learning works best when you move at a pace that feels safe.
Yes. Alongside SAI, you can contact Aware, Samaritans, MyMind, or your GP for confidential support.
If something resonates, take the next small step — complete the self-assessment or learn about our 14-week group treatment. Progress starts with one calm decision.
Start Small. Keep Going.
You don’t have to face social anxiety all at once. Sometimes the next right thing is reading a page, watching a talk, or saving a number. Each small action builds courage for the next.
Dr.odhran McCarthy // Founder