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Dear Dish-it: Help Me Get Over My Shyness

Dear Dish-it,

I am a really shy girl. Whenever I have to present a presentation to the class, I always a bad job at it. AND, I don't really have the courage to talk to make friends. Can you help me get out of my shyness?

shy-as-a-deer

Getting Over Shyness

Dear shy-as-a-deer,

Believe me - I know what it’s like to be a wallflower. People can seem very intimidating especially the first time you talk to them. What worked for me? Giving myself challenges to be more outgoing, doing the things I wasn’t so comfortable with and getting involved.

Get Your Goal On

Make being more outgoing a personal goal. When I was breaking out of my shell, I found it extremely rewarding to make up little challenges for myself. One of my faves was to talk to five different (and new) people and ask how their day was going during each school day. I found when I pushed myself out of my comfort zone doing activities like that, not only did I get closer to my goal, but I made more friends, too.

Front & Center

I also made a point to do more public speaking activities. These activities made me much more confident talking to a crowd and raising my voice. One of the most rewarding things I did was emceeing at my middle school talent show. At the end of the evening, when everyone applauded for me, I realized that I had done it. I wasn’t just the girl in the corner, and you don’t have to be either. Look for activities in your school and community that emphasize speaking and sign up for them. Confidence is most important thing to project.

Team Effort

The best thing any shy person can do is join a team. Go for a drama production or a sport. Both activities set you up with a core group of kids with - you guessed it - the same interests. Make it a personal goal to get to know each person in the ensemble by talking to them one-on-one. Good-bye timidity, hello new friends!