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| Image by Pixabay |
Imagine this. It's the beginning of a new academic year in a new school or college and you enter a classroom full of chattering students. Does that sound like a nightmare to you? Do you wish that a teacher or a professor should enter the class soon so that there will be silence and you won’t feel left out? If you do, you know that you are a shy person. Shyness is an obstruction that prevents you from presenting yourself in a social situation. One might even find ways to avoid a social situation due to his or her shyness.
Shy people often wait for the others to begin a conversation and hope to be invited into their friend circle. Once they become comfortable around a bunch of people, they seem to have overcome their shyness and become the life of the party around them.
Why could you be shy?
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| Image by Pixabay |
During such daunting social situations, you might have had this question in your mind, “Why am I so shy?” The answer could range from something serious such as being bullied, or subtle such as lack of experience with social situations. There are also biological aspects such as genetics that influence the trait of shyness within a person. Shyness is often the result of the environment and an individual’s relationship with their parents.
Having had strict or doting parents during childhood could result in the development of shyness in an individual. Shy parents could also render their children to be shy. Public humiliation or overly critical workspaces develop a sense of shyness among adults.
How to overcome your feeling of shyness
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| image by Pixabay |
You might be racking your brain right now, trying to figure out how you can overcome the feeling of shyness like me. But let us first take a moment to figure out our strengths as a shy person. It might seem less likely but you might get pleasantly surprised!
Being shy puts you at an advantage in certain kinds of job profiles. In this aggressive and competitive world, being calm and considerate is valued and anticipated among therapists, counselors and other social-service oriented careers.
Your shyness, which results in a calm and composed stature may seem as less intimidating and approachable for many people. Newbies might feel more comfortable approaching you than the competitive and loud person nearby.
Being a shy person, you might rethink choices you need to make in difficult situations. It might probably slow you down but would help you arrive at the right decision.
With our strengths out of the way, let us focus on the steps you can take to overcome shyness.
Observe your friends or a family member
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There are people around us like close friends and family members who relatively lean on the bolder and talkative side of the spectrum. They might be able to get things done by talking and socialising at an event might be easier for them. You can take cues from them and act accordingly when you feel shy.
Start simple
Initiating a conversation with a stranger is often intimidating as we might not always know what to say. You can start simple by introducing yourself and asking questions such as “Where are you from?”, “What kind of hobbies do you enjoy?”, or you can ask for a simple favor or information. Asking questions can help you know the person better and you may find some similar hobbies and interests that you can talk about.
Join groups with similar interests
Find groups of similar interests and hobbies, you will have a lot to talk and share about with people in such places.
Visualise being bold
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| Image by Pixabay |
One of the effective ways to overcome shyness is to imagine yourself as bold and confident. An upcoming social situation need not be feared with the imagination of embarrassment and humiliation. Instead, visualise yourself having a good time talking to people.
So there you go! These are some of the ways you can overcome shyness. Do embrace yourselves as you make progress with overcoming your shyness. There are considerate and helpful people who are willing to accept you the way you are.
