Simple Solutions to Shyness E-Book

50MINUTES

• Herausgeber: 50Minutes.com
• Kategorie: Geisteswissenschaft
• Serie: Health & Wellbeing
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 35

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2017

Beschreibung

Change is only 50 minutes away! Find out everything you need to know about overcoming shyness with this straightforward guide.

While feeling nervous before public speaking and during some social interactions is a fairly normal experience, sometimes shyness can be debilitating and hold you back in your personal and professional life. However, it does not have to be this way: there are many steps you can take to boost your self-esteem, improve your communication skills and interact confidently with others.

In just 50 minutes you will be able to:
• Discover where your shyness comes from
• Understand the difference between ordinary shyness and social phobia
• Find effective methods to become more comfortable with social interaction

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Leseprobe

Simple solutions to shyness

Problem: many people struggle with public speaking, or find themselves stammering or blushing when they try and express their opinion in a conversation. Shyness is often seen as a minor, inconsequential flaw with no impact on the daily lives of those who experience it. However, it can soon become debilitating in interpersonal relationships.Aims: to learn where your shyness comes from and get it under control.FAQs:I have been shy since I was a child. Should I just accept it and learn to live with it?Acting is often recommended as a way of combatting shyness. Does it actually work?Are all shy people introverts?Can shyness be an advantage in the world of work?I avoid all social activity because meeting new people and talking in public terrifies me. Am I just shy, or is it something more serious?

“I’m incredibly shy. Whenever I’m in a group with people I don’t know very well, I stay in the background and pray that nobody asks me a question or starts a conversation with me. When that happens and I feel that everyone’s eyes are on me, I look at my feet, go red and quickly mumble a short answer, hoping that that will be the end of it.” (Jennifer, 30)

Although it is far from a serious illness, in modern society and especially in the world of work, shyness is often seen as a terrible flaw that can hold back those who suffer from it. Indeed, the model employee is expected to be outgoing, enjoy teamwork, take initiative and be able to assert themselves and express their opinion. The same goes for our personal lives, where evenings with friends often turn into a chance to meet new people. However, social skills do not come naturally to everyone. Some people break out in a cold sweat, tremble, experience palpitations and face a whole host of other unpleasant symptoms at the very thought of taking part in a conversation. Shy people find themselves paralysed in social situations and pushed into the background on a daily basis. They are plagued by doubts that they cannot shake off, and feel that they are being judged harshly every time they express an opinion or put forward an idea. While shyness can be debilitating in everyday life, a much more serious form of pathological shyness known as social anxiety disorder or social phobia may take hold if it is not dealt with, on both an individual and a professional level. But where does shyness come from? And why does it only affect some of us? Some people are constantly brimming with confidence and everything always seems to go their way – what is their secret? What can we do to, if not conquer shyness, at least get our social anxiety under control so that it no longer rules our lives and our relationships with other people?

In 50 minutes, you will find out the secrets of your shyness: where it comes from, why it is so severe and, above all, how you can overcome it, with the help of targeted advice and practical tools to use on a daily basis.

What is the psychological mechanism behind shyness?

Is shyness just a flaw, or is it an illness?

A flaw that can appear at any age

“Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood.” (Marie Curie, scientist and two-time winner of the Nobel Prize)

While the Collins English Dictionary defines a shy person as someone who “is nervous and uncomfortable in the company of other people”, the French psychiatrist Christophe André gives a much more precise definition. According to him, this psychological mechanism manifests itself in an individual when they are faced with anxiety-inducing social situations. Although the shy person has a clear desire to build relationships and interact with those around them, they become withdrawn and avoidant in order to escape the embarrassment and discomfort they experience.