Overcoming Shyness
May 1st, 2007When I was very young about 4 years old when I first started school I was very shy and felt very uncomfortable around anyone who was not a member of my close family. My mother told me when I was older that when I first started school I would cry everyday when she dropped me off and walked away. Apparently I just did not like being around other people, I was always happy playing with other members of my family and absolutely dreaded being away from them. Fearing that this could become a problem for me as I got older my parents thought that the best thing for overcoming shyness would be to get me involved in sports at a very early age. As it turned out I became very involved in a number of different sports and am still very active today because when people are playing sports they are generally smiling and happy.
Overcoming shyness is a huge problem for some people and the longer you leave this problem the worse it will get. If by the time you become an adult you are still painfully shy your shyness may dominate your life. This social phobia may seem like an extremely difficult problem to overcome but there are steps you can take to help deal with overcoming shyness that even the shyest people can start with.
Even into high school I was still a generally shy kid, especially around people I did not know. I suppose this is pretty common with most school age kids but some kids seem to have an uncanny ability to make friends so easily and never appear shy. As I have gotten older and pretty much dealt with overcoming shyness I now notice that the one thing that makes me feel comfortable around anyone is a simple smile. Have you ever noticed what an ultimate ice breaker a smile is? If it is with meeting a girlfriend or boyfriend, maybe a friends parent or a new work associate, nothing ever works better with making each party feel comfortable than a smile and this can really help towards overcoming shyness.
I currently live in Thailand which has often been referred to as the, Land of Smiles. It is true, almost everywhere you go in Thailand from the North to the South, the islands and every where in between, almost everyone will smile at you if you look at them. I thought is was amazing the first time I came to Thailand since this just did not happen in Sydney, Australia where I was from. Aussies are pretty friendly people but if you walked through the middle of Sydney on any given day smiling at everyone, many people would be thinking, what is that guy smiling at? Over the last 2 years while I have lived in Thailand I definitely smile a lot more and I think it has helped make me a generally happier person.
Once I quickly noticed that everyone in Thailand was smiling all the time I never thought for a moment that they would be shy people but they are in fact very shy people and that is one of the reasons they smile so much, it is their positive way in overcoming shyness and it works. Thai people are really onto something here because when someone smiles at me I instantly feel more relaxed with them and would more likely approach someone who is smiling before I would approach someone who is frowning.
Smiling is just a first step in overcoming shyness and it might just be all you need to do to engage someone in conversation that you may have previously been too shy to talk to. Of course you will probably still be shy if they do come over to talk but there is nothing wrong with saying very little but keeping that smile on your face. If they like you there is a good chance they will stick around, who cares if they do all the talking. You can start talking when you are ready to. So keep smiling, you never know what great things might happen or who you will meet.
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May 13th, 2007 at 1:07 pm
[…] John Hill presents Overcoming Shyness posted at Universe Of Success. […]
May 16th, 2007 at 3:38 am
thank you for sharing your personal experiences. smiling is an ice breaker. a smile shows openess and warmth. it is also attractive and attracts people to you. if you are shy it is easier to have someone come over to you for conversation. a smile can do that.
October 24th, 2007 at 8:12 pm
[…] Universe of Success presents Overcoming Shyness […]
October 25th, 2007 at 2:23 am
I always find personal stories like this so uplifting. It’s always a comfort to know that you are not alone, and second that shyness is something that can be dealt with and overcome. Thanks for sharing.