This is a big problem for a lot of people, because it's the sort of behavior that's protective when we're growing up but maladaptive when we're adults. You might want to look into Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (but ask a therapist, since I'm not a doctor or anything). Check with your school to see what sort of options are available to students. Hopefully there will be something, as this problem is *really* common among high-functioning people. At its core CBT is about identifying the automatic thoughts our brain throws up as part of its distorted view of reality, and then reframing our interpretation of a given situation with something more in line with reality. For example, I was afraid to talk to a girl at a bar because I thought my friends would see me make a fool out of myself and think less of me. In that situation I was reading the minds of my friends, and making the whole situation seem doomed from the start. More likely than anything, my friends didn't care *that* much about what I was doing, and that the anxiety I felt was mostly endogenous. **You can start by reading this [list of cognitive errors](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_distortion), or taking this [quiz](http://cmhc.utexas.edu/stressrecess/animations/quiz/quiz-distortions.swf) which illustrates its application.** If this sounds like something you do, or sounds like it might be helpful to your situation, **I'd check out [Feeling Good by David Burns](http://www.amazon.com/Feeling-Good-Therapy-Revised-Updated/dp/0380810336/).** You can probably find it for $5 or less at a used bookstore. It's a more comprehensive and step by step guide through CBT. It describes the cognitive distortions, has quizzes and exercises to help you apply them, and covers a variety of different manifestations of anxiety. **Lastly, and most importantly, allow yourself to take time with this process.** It won't be overnight, nor will it be fixed in a year. You'll make extraordinary improvement, for sure, but it's not a switch that you can turn off. Remember that these thought patterns are part of how your brain has functioned all its life. It is what powers perfectionists but gives them palladium poisoning at the end of the day. For me it was a source of undue stress to kick myself for not thinking "perfectly" quickly enough. It's a slow process that you may need help with, but you can do it. Good luck!