Shy in Public? Here Are 5 Practical Confidence-Building Tips

No introverted person wants to hear this, but being shy can create more problems than one might realize. From reduced job opportunities to trouble making friends, being shy is certainly worth trying to conquer. The good news is, you can kiss some of that shyness away with these hot practical confidence-boosting tips and tricks.

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1. Go Out with Friends

Many shy people still have friends. If you’re one of these people, make an effort to go out with a friend or two. Not only does hanging out with friends in public give you the opportunity to socialize with them, but seeing how your friends interact with strangers can help model certain social behaviors, making you more likely and more confident in replicating such.

2. Venture Out to Get What You Need Instead of Ordering it Online

Shy folks love ordering things online. Whether it be getting food delivered to your door, purchasing health & wellness items like contact lenses or an at home covid test online, or ordering groceries from your phone, anything to avoid real-world interactions seems like a plus for shy guys and gals.

As hard as it might be to understand, it’s actually counterintuitive to order everything online when you’re feeling people-d out. Getting out and buying what you need can help you build your confidence level and get you more comfortable with being social.

3. Refrain from Comparing Yourself to Others

It’s easy to compare yourself to others, especially when you think that they have something that you lack. In this case, it may be the ability to confidently interact with people in public or carrying a conversation so smoothly.

While it might be difficult to stop comparing yourself to other people, what you need to understand is that every single person is unique, and it is impossible to become a carbon copy of anyone. You are you for a reason, and nobody can be you. Confidence is built on the idea that you are your own person, and that is to be celebrated.

4. Learn to Establish Proper Eye Contact

A big and sometimes scary step in gaining confidence and, in turn, helping combat extreme shyness is learning how to make and keep eye contact. Even if you aren’t feeling confident or social at the time, proper eye contact can give the impression that you are focused, listening, unafraid, and assertive to the speaker. It will come naturally eventually.

5. Don’t Beat Yourself Up

Some of us can be quick to beat ourselves up for being too shy. Part of being more confident in speaking and socializing is to accept ourselves the way we are and understand that there is always room for improvement. Becoming less shy in public is going to take trial & error and sometimes small baby steps, but you’ll get there eventually.

Conclusion

It’s true that being shy or quiet can be innate personality traits of ours. Even if you were “born that way,” there are things you can do to become more outgoing and social. A lot of battling shyness starts with building your self-confidence from the bottom up.