Samuel Okoruwa
It will interest you to know that a lot of people are not born shy. It is a trait that we learn over time and as a result becomes part of us. This means you can unlearn this trait become more confident in your daily interactions. But how do you do this?
Here are some habits you can practise daily to become less shy.
Stop Labeling Yourself
The more you label yourself as shy, the more you’ll keep seeing yourself as a shy person and continue to stop yourself from engaging with people. When you keep labeling yourself shy, your brain keeps bringing up reasons why you shouldn’t go out to interact people, why people would not like you if you go out and why you should avoid awkward situations. So, if you want to overcome your shyness, stop calling yourself shy and instead see yourself as someone who is still learning how the world works like every other person. After all, nobody is perfect.
Listen More
This is one very important tip not just for shy people but for everyone in general. Before now, you must have probably heard that listening is one of the most crucial skills to have during a conversation. It is so important that it is the first tip everyone should pay attention to whenever they start a conversation. If you look around you, you would find that a large number of people are not ready to listen. Everyone just wants to talk more than the other person and not slow down to actually listen to what they are saying.
When was the last time you came across someone who listened attentively to you during a conversation? How did it make you feel? I’m guessing, good. It would interest you to note that even as a shy person, listening more can actually make you a better conversationalist. You know those times when you don’t know what to say during a conversation?
Well, maybe you should just listen more and try to be present during the conversation. When you do this, you would be able to pick out more from what the other person is saying and come up with responses based on that.
Silence That Little Voice In Your Head
We all have that inner critic in our head that is always telling us what we can and can’t do. Well, for shy people, it turns out that that voice is usually way more active and always giving them negative thoughts to stop them from engaging with people. That means to stop being shy, you have to silence this voice. For instance, if the voice tells you you’re not attractive enough, you respond by telling it why you’re awesome and listing all the facts that you know people love about you. This may look hard but if you can practise this daily, you will definitely see an improvement in your shyness.
Face Your Fears
In case you didn’t know, doing something that scares you on daily basis is one of the ways you can become a more confident person any area of your life at all. Therefore, this is great opportunity in which you can do something that scares you and actually see your confidence in dealing with people rise. Besides, the only way you can truly overcome your shyness is by actually going out there to confront your shyness. Every other tip on this list is just to prepare you for this particular task. So, are you scared of talking to people? If so, try and go out daily to start conversations with strangers. Whether it is asking the bank cashier for the time or asking them how their day is going (with a smile on your face), just try to do something.
Give Compliments More Often
People love to receive compliments as long as they are appropriate and do not seem fake. So, if you find yourself at a social gathering, you can actually start a conversation by giving a nice sincere compliment and watch how the other person reacts. Although some people are a**holes, chances are the other person will smile back and say a resounding thank you. And you never know! A friendship could just start from there.
So, what are you waiting for? Start tackling your shyness with these daily habits and you will gradually become less shy and start being comfortable around other people.
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