Overcome Your Shyness and Come Out of Your Shell
Shyness can feel very unpleasant, as anyone who has experienced it knows only too well. It can be hard work to be in any social setting when you feel shy and more often than not the sense of awkwardness and self-consciousness can make you reconsider accepting future invitations. It can seem easier just to stay at home alone!
Statistics suggest that up to 50% of people have suffered from shyness in various situations at some time of their lives. It is most common among teenagers, but can affect anyone and is often associated with social inexperience and being overly self-conscious. Adults may find that their shyness can actually get worse over time, especially is they continue to remain very self-conscious in social settings and dread drawing attention to themselves in any way. In this respect, shyness can really damage a person's confidence, not only in social gatherings, but in all aspects of their life. Yet, the good news is that it is possible to overcome shyness and increase confidence although both goals require a little determination and effort.
As mentioned earlier, shy people don't like to stand out in a crowd. They don't feel worthy of positive attention and so think people are looking at them and criticising their faults. This, of course, is rarely true, but to a shy person it is something they feel is happening each time they venture to a party or a conference or a meeting. The key here is for the shy person to start to feel good about themselves - this is the first step to overcoming shyness. We are all different and all wonderfully individual and all of us have good qualities and talents. The greater your confidence, the happier you are with your differences and the more likely you are to celebrate your best qualities rather than try to hide them.
Start to write down all the good qualities you have - you will find that you have more than you first anticipated. Cherish these qualities and the things you have accomplished in your life. Keep this list with you every day, especially when you are meeting people and within time you will start to project these qualities to others because your confidence will be strong enough to do so. You will feel good about yourself and no longer self-conscious about perceived faults and you will undoubtedly start come out of your shell. Practice small conversations at first if you feel nervous in the beginning about speaking to people - perhaps a short chat with a cashier in a shop or a waitress in a restaurant.
Another important step to overcoming your shyness is to stop comparing yourself to others. Comparisons often lead to feelings of insecurity which will make your shyness worse. Instead of focusing on what people look like or how outgoing they appear, concentrate instead on what they say and really listen - don't plan your response prior to the speaker finishing what they are saying. We are all so much more than our exteriors, so focusing heavily on our appearance is a mistake.
When you focus on what other people are saying it takes away your own self-consciousness plus it makes the other person feel worthy and important. Making others feel good about themselves is a gift, and you never know, you might be helping someone else overcome their shyness and help them come out of their shell.
To find out more about building your confidence and self esteem, visit http://www.self-confidence-matters.com
Statistics suggest that up to 50% of people have suffered from shyness in various situations at some time of their lives. It is most common among teenagers, but can affect anyone and is often associated with social inexperience and being overly self-conscious. Adults may find that their shyness can actually get worse over time, especially is they continue to remain very self-conscious in social settings and dread drawing attention to themselves in any way. In this respect, shyness can really damage a person's confidence, not only in social gatherings, but in all aspects of their life. Yet, the good news is that it is possible to overcome shyness and increase confidence although both goals require a little determination and effort.
As mentioned earlier, shy people don't like to stand out in a crowd. They don't feel worthy of positive attention and so think people are looking at them and criticising their faults. This, of course, is rarely true, but to a shy person it is something they feel is happening each time they venture to a party or a conference or a meeting. The key here is for the shy person to start to feel good about themselves - this is the first step to overcoming shyness. We are all different and all wonderfully individual and all of us have good qualities and talents. The greater your confidence, the happier you are with your differences and the more likely you are to celebrate your best qualities rather than try to hide them.
Start to write down all the good qualities you have - you will find that you have more than you first anticipated. Cherish these qualities and the things you have accomplished in your life. Keep this list with you every day, especially when you are meeting people and within time you will start to project these qualities to others because your confidence will be strong enough to do so. You will feel good about yourself and no longer self-conscious about perceived faults and you will undoubtedly start come out of your shell. Practice small conversations at first if you feel nervous in the beginning about speaking to people - perhaps a short chat with a cashier in a shop or a waitress in a restaurant.
Another important step to overcoming your shyness is to stop comparing yourself to others. Comparisons often lead to feelings of insecurity which will make your shyness worse. Instead of focusing on what people look like or how outgoing they appear, concentrate instead on what they say and really listen - don't plan your response prior to the speaker finishing what they are saying. We are all so much more than our exteriors, so focusing heavily on our appearance is a mistake.
When you focus on what other people are saying it takes away your own self-consciousness plus it makes the other person feel worthy and important. Making others feel good about themselves is a gift, and you never know, you might be helping someone else overcome their shyness and help them come out of their shell.
To find out more about building your confidence and self esteem, visit http://www.self-confidence-matters.com
