What is Shyness?

You’re shy? Do you have trouble dealing with people or situations?

Shyness is a timid behavior that is acquired throughout life through social interactions. Shyness is often characterized by feeling nervous or awkward during a conversation. You don’t have to be shy, feel insecure at every step, or fear judgment.

8 Effective Ways to Overcome Shyness:

If you think your shyness is holding you back, today let’s learn how to overcome it and boost your confidence whenever shyness strikes.

There are some methods that anyone can practice:

1-Empower Yourself :

Overcoming shyness is about getting out of your comfort zone. Even something like answering the phone at work or knocking on next door for a package seems like the most daunting thing at the time, but in hindsight, you think, Well, that wasn’t a big deal. Don’t avoid these social situations, breathe deep and push yourself a little, you’ll be amazed at what you’re capable of and how quickly it gets easier.

Related:15 Ways to Feel More Empowered in Your Life

2 -Replace Shy Habits With Safe Social Skills:

Once you realize that shyness is the result of small habits, you can start paying attention to the small things you do each day that make you feel and appear more shy. You avoid eye contact or speak softly. You may be avoiding social interactions altogether because you feel so shy and trapped in your own thoughts. You may seem closed to conversations, constantly on the phone or wearing headphones.

Examples of these habits :

• Overthinking your social interactions: Tell yourself «Everyone says embarrassing things sometimes and nobody thinks back on what I did or said ».
• Avoiding people in public: “Make friendly eye contact or praise strangers.
• Judging yourself strongly after social interactions: work to calm your inner critic by changing your inner speech.
• Speak softly: Speak at a moderate volume.
• Using your phone in public: Put your phone away when you are in social situations, Grab a drink instead if you don’t know what to do with your hands.

3-Don’t Let the Spotlight Effect Get You :

The spotlight effect refers to the assumption that everything you do and say will be seen by other people, almost as if a spotlight were shining on you. This cognitive bias can easily contribute to shyness or social anxiety. If you’re concerned about others noticing and judging your flaws or quirks, you’re more likely to stay on the edge of a crowd where you can protect yourself from possible rejection. In reality, however, most people tend to be less observant than you might think, in part because they think about their own spotlight. You may feel like all eyes are on you, but that’s often not the case.
Unconvinced? Ask yourself how much you perceive the people around you and what they are doing at any given moment.

4-MOVE ON :

Shyness sometimes stems from fear of rejection. Rejection is something we have all faced at some point in our lives. Whether it’s in love, at work, or with friends, don’t let this fear hold you back, resilience is key and if you don’t get it right away, get up and try again.

5-Surround yourself with more people:

It sounds like it should be wrong, but just being around people will help you slowly build your confidence as you get used to it. You will soon find that you become more confident in discussions and learn to relax when you are with other people.

6-Control Your Nervousness :

The next time you get nervous in a meeting, remember that there are other ways to channel your energy. It’s good to ask yourself before entering a meeting or presentation: Am I nervous? If so, do I have a specific reason why I feel this way? The fact that we are nervous is a signal to us that something is happening or that we don’t know what we are doing. Or we are concerned about our performance. If this is the case, the solution is to figure out what’s causing our anxiety and come up with a plan to fix it. Sometimes people get nervous when they have to speak in front of a group. However, there are many ways to use your energy. You can take a deep breath and think of something that relaxes you. In these situations, do your best to let go of your nervousness. Remember that if you’re nervous, others can be too. It’s always good to ask yourself what the real problem is before you get nervous. If you find that there is a specific reason you are nervous, you should work on it. You know you will be giving a speech or presentation at a meeting, and you should spend enough time preparing the speech or ideas to contribute to the meeting.

7-Get the right attitude before you speak:

We’ve all been in awkward social situations where our heads go blank, and we struggle to say something. So what’s the solution? When you’re nervous about a conversation, you’re probably thinking about the worst that could happen. In reality, the best thing you can do is approach the situation with a positive attitude and make sure you’re willing to answer questions and engage in meaningful conversations. One of the best ways to prepare for social interactions is to ask yourself a few questions beforehand. For example: What should I talk about? How can I get the other person’s attention? What are my strengths? What is my greatest weakness? What can I use to prove my point? Asking yourself these kinds of questions can help you maintain confidence in any social situation. You should also have a clear understanding of how the other person thinks and what they want.

8-Accept yourself:

However shy you may be, in the end, it’s just part of who you are. You can work on becoming less shy, but if your shyness isn’t a problem for you, you probably don’t need to force yourself to get over it. For example, you may not have a particular need to meet new people, but you have no problem greeting someone when they introduce themselves. You may be nervous before speaking to your boss, but you succeed in conversations when necessary. Even if your heart beats faster. If you are shy and introverted, you may be perfectly content with your current level of social interaction, as you will have plenty of time to unwind and relax yourself.

Related:Accept to improve your personal life