How to Stop Being Shy

All of us deserve to be able to enjoy life without being bothered about anything. However, those who are shy, hold themselves back from doing so. If you really want to stop being shy, it is very important that you come out of the shell and develop your personality. By sitting at home or in a secluded place, you cannot expect that people will come and befriend you. Make an effort from your side to meet new people. You must have the attitude to go out and approach others with a positive frame of mind.

How to Overcome Shyness

For an introvert person, shyness can be an inherent personality trait. However, it can be reduced to some extent with the help of a few simple steps. They are as follows:

Improve Your Self-esteem
Firstly, try to figure out the root cause of your shyness. Basically, there are two major reasons that make people shy. One, they are extremely self-conscious. So, they tend to put a lot of attention on whether they are behaving in the right manner or not. Two, they have a negative attitude towards their life. They feel that there is nothing interesting about them, and are not worth anyone's attention. Both these factors make them very nervous and they withdraw into a cocoon. All of us have our own set of strengths and weaknesses. Understand those strong points and maintain focus upon them. Accept that you are different, and appreciate yourself the way you are. Invest some more time in improving your physical appearance. It makes a lot of difference as it boosts up the level of self-confidence. When you look at the mirror and feel good about yourself, you can approach a person, known or unknown, more confidently.

Practice Conversation
Those who are shy find it very difficult to communicate with others but the conversation skills can be improved with a little bit of practice. There is an old saying that practice makes a man perfect. To start with, stand in front of a mirror, think of a subject of your choice and talk to yourself. It may sound really silly, but it works. Next, take the help of a good friend who can help you in this regard. Both of you can role-play to make yourself comfortable during the conversation. Then go out, meet strangers and chat with them. Initially, approach people in some quiet places like, book stores or coffee shop. This is because those people are more approachable as compared to a person who is in a loud party. Next time, when you go to a party, closely observe those people who make friends easily. It will help you to strike a conversation with people in crowded places. In a crowd, talk to one such person who is standing aloof. A one-on-one interaction is easier than speaking in a group. Once the conversation is on, you will find your nervousness is gone. As you meet more people, you will be able to identify the kind of people you are comfortable with.

Learn to Relax
When shy people try to socialize and start a conversation with others, they feel anxious in doing so. They fail to decide what to say. They have a hidden fear that they may speak something really stupid and will feel humiliated. A simple way to overcome this fear of rejection is to prepare the mind for the worst possible consequences. If you are ignored by someone, do not take it personally. Move on and you will find more interesting people around. When in a large crowd you feel that the shyness is taking control of your senses, shift your attention towards other things. This will prevent you from being overly self-conscious.

Anxiety and fear are emotions that are difficult to suppress. Learn relaxation techniques to get rid of the uneasiness. As the anxious thoughts set in, close your eyes and focus all attention on the breathing. Keep the rhythm of breathing slow and after some time, you will find that the mental conflict is gone. Practice of yoga and meditation can also help you to develop a better control over the negative emotions. Other exercises such as walking and jogging also helps to release tension and refresh the mind.

You should stop being shy from meeting people and start conversation with them. It is essential in order to achieve your personal goals and flourish in life. It can also help you to bring forth the hidden talent that lies within you.