10 Ways To Overcome Shyness

Can you remember the last time you stepped into a room full of strangers and felt that self-conscious and awkward feeling rush over you? Or wanting to approach someone for business, but feeling too hesitant to actually do it? That anxiety in the pit of your stomach in social situations? Does it always feel like something is holding you back?

Regardless of whether you are introverted or extraverted, we can all relate to that feeling of shyness at some point in our lives. Socially, we tend to have the misconception that only introverts experience shyness, but that is not true. Shyness has more to do with being uncomfortable with one's self, especially around other people.

The Three Components of Shyness

According to Dr. Bernardo J. Carducci of the Shyness Research Institute, shyness has three components:

* Excessive Self-consciousness: You are overly aware of yourself, particularly in social situations.
* Excessive Negative Self-evaluation: You tend to see yourself negatively.
* Excessive Negative Self-preoccupation: You tend to pay too much attention to all the things you are doing wrong when you are around other people.

How to Overcome Shyness

We've all experienced different variations of shyness, and through practice and increased awareness we can learn to overcome it. The following are tips that have helped in overcoming this uncomfortable feeling.

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