Have you ever walked into a party or a social situation and found yourself overcome with feelings of anxiousness? Shyness and social unease are quite common and affect millions of people. This may not seem like such a big deal, but as you get older, staying social and building strong friendships is a vital part of maintaining your mental and emotional well-being. With retirement, and the subsequent relocation that sometimes follows, many old friends and familiar social settings can drastically change. Many times, you’ll be forced to step out of your comfort zone in order to forge new connections. This can sometimes cause a lot of anxiety, especially if you’re someone who is inherently shy or feels awkward in social situations. Luckily, there are steps you can take to manage your social anxiety, and overcome your shyness. We’ve listed some of them below: 1. Understand Your Shyness and Accept It According to the Shyness Research Center, shyness has three components: Negative Self-Appraisal – Tending to see everything about yourself in a negative light (e.g., Everything I do is stupid) Excessive Self-Consciousness – Being overly conscious of yourself, especially in social situations (e.g., Everybody is looking at me.) Irrational Belief System – You create a negative reality out of a negative thought/idea (e.g. Nobody here will like me anyway) Although we all experience different shades of shyness, the core root of shyness can be explained by the following reasons: Low Self-Esteem – You tend to feel worthless and that your actions and unique qualities are not desirable. Extreme Self-Preoccupation – You’re extremely fixated on how your actions are being perceived, and makes you question every move. Defining Yourself as Shy – By defining yourself as shy, or having other people...
