Shy ladies...

poontater · January 2010

how have you or do you come over being shy? I am having pretty bad anxiety (like elephant on my chest level) about having to approach stranger's and talking to them like I have known them forever (once I am done with school I will be an EMT). I am very confident that I will be very good at what I do, but the thought of social situations is making me doubt myself over and over again.

TIA

KatieBride06 · January 2010

i don't consider myself shy, but i do get social anxiety in some social situations. heck, i've been prettyanxious sometimes at nestie GTG's. but i think practice makes perfect. don't avoid social situations. avoidance can be the worst thing. i would try to put yourself out there more.

duke_girl · January 2010

You could try seeking therapy with a therapist who does cognitive-behavioral therapy. Therapy for what you described would be relatively brief (12-16 sessions) and would give you some "tools" so that you could feel more comfortable in social situations. GL!

517butterfly · January 2010

I've got the same problem. I'm got my chaplaincy internship this semester at Gaston Memorial and the part that scares me most in having to create conversation out of then air. I consider myself a shy person but at the same time I'm not big on small talk either so I've got to figure out how to do both. So I am right there with you and am hoping that this posts gets a lot of good responses.

H&W05 · January 2010

I'm very shy, and get anxious in social situations. I'm no good at small talk either. Unfortunately I have no 'cure'. I've never grown out of my shyness or overcame it somehow. I think its like Katie said, practice makes perfect. If an invite to a party or gathering comes, I try to go, instead of declining and sitting home like my first instinct would be.

SkyLizard · January 2010

KatieBride06:
i don't consider myself shy, but i do get social anxiety in some social situations. heck, i've been prettyanxious sometimes at nestie GTG's. but i think practice makes perfect. don't avoid social situations. avoidance can be the worst thing. i would try to put yourself out there more.

Ditto this. The more you put yourself "out there" the more comfortable you'll be in a social situation. Of course, that's always easier said than done

KatieBride06 · January 2010

also, the first time you meet people is the most difficult for conversation. but if you're with them again, then you have more to talk about if you remember things that you learned the first time you met.

715inNC · January 2010

I'm not shy at all-

I think a lot of shyness comes from being unsure, but guess what, some of us "outgoing" people aren't any more sure of ourselves than you are...we just have found a way of coping with the anxiety

I LOVE meeting new people, I think of it as an adventure, I try not to dwell on the way people see me when I meet them or what they might think of me. I try to be very observant to what other people's personalities are (I think this helps in approaching them) and what kind of conversations are happening

You can do it, I definitely agree not to hide away from these social interactions but to build on them...and I think therapy sounds perfectly normal if you're ACTIVELY TRYING to improve on your social skills!

markyslove · January 2010

I wouldn't say that I've "overcome" it. I'm in media, so it's kind of a necessity. I just force myself to go to networking events and "practice". It helps when I think of parties/events as just a lot of one on ones or small groups. If I frame it that way, I'm less overwhelmed. And the more I do it, the more people I end up knowing and the more comfortable I feel.

I think the best advice is to try not to hide from interacting with others. It's true that the more you do it, the more comfortable you'll feel.

Shy ladies...

Re: Shy ladies...

Choose Another Board

Search Boards