Member-only story
5 Things I Learned That Helped Me Overcome My Shyness
I used to be an extremely shy person.
Always thinking no one likes me, hardly talking to anyone and if I talked I would feel very embarrassed straight away.
Being so nervous just next to other people was no fun at all, but in hindsight, there were only a few things I needed to do to overcome this shyness:
1. Getting Out Of My Comfort Zone.
I joined theatre in 10th grade and was forced out of my own comfort zone.
In theatre you are not allowed any large personal “bubbles” because you may have to get extremely close to another person whilst still staying comfortable.
So my own personal bubble became extremely tiny, allowing me to be more physical and emotional with people, which made talking to them even easier.
I went around hugging almost everyone, which I never felt comfortable with before.
That plus the forced going on stage in front of hundreds of people (we were a theatre group of 70 people with roughly 500 people watching each show) lead me to have to become more comfortable.
You do not have to force yourself into distressing levels of discomfort, but do try to become a little uncomfortable.