I am......extremely so, honestly.
Could be the forum's issue?
Shyness cannot be made to go away.
But it can be dealt with.
There is a way to 'ease' into reaching out.

I'll post more about it if anyone wants to know.

There's help for that. Try Paxil.

I use to be shy and am to a point, I find that if I can find something to talk about with someone that I can relate to it helps. I am though one that will not start up a conversation, but will join in if ones procceds to have chat with me. Does this make me shy? Maybe. Being shy does it make it hard to get out and to talk to people.

There's help for that. Try Paxil.

Screw that.. beer.

Screw that.. beer.

And its not a prescription either. Can be got at any food chain store.

Hell yes my friend. Drink up.

-- they call it liquid courage.

Yes they do and I have used it a few times in the past, how I open up and quite fast to.

Paxil works better. Only problem is it slows down the intimate moments.

No drugs for me.

I'm not as shy as I used to be. I guess forcing myself through some shy moments and living to tell the tale has helped with that. It also depends on the situation...I'm totally out of my comfort zone at clubs and that type of meat market so there I am shy.

I'm not shy - opposite - probably very obnoxious! I worked in retail for 15 years, you learn to talk to people... now I'm in Real Estate... I have to talk to people.

But my son is and I have to beg him to go ask the cashier for Ketchup! I've tried to ease him into situations in which he feels he can have control and he is getting a lot better. If he wants to buy something, I'll tell him, yes you can have it - here's $1 and go buy it.. so it forces him to do something he doesn't want to do it.. so far, no evil clerk has gobbled him up and he is getting much better at it.

When we go out to eat, he orders now and is actually getting a lot more confidence but when he was really little, he would stand behind me and not say anything to adults. I didn't force him to because I could tell he was really uncomfortable but over the years, I encouraged him to speak up for himself. I've told him repeatedly when he talks to people to ask about them and listen and they will think he is the most fascinating person in the world. He is going to be 13 and I'm glad he is coming out of it.. but he is not really outgoing so I don't know how that will be for him....one on one, he is good and I encourage him to take Drama and Music so he can get used to being in front of people.

Leon, what are you tips?

Yes, I am. Unless I feel comfortable, which is when I don't fear I'll say something stupid or inappropriate.

I am sometimes and at other times I'm not. It just depends on my mood for that day!

I didn't know Paxil was prescribed for shyness? I always new it was an anti-depressant/anti-anxiety drug.

Severe shyness is also called social phobia or social anxiety disorder, which is treated by medications like Paxil, Zoloft, Effexor, etc.

Okay... yes now I can see why it would be prescribed to someone who had a social phobia.

Jack, social anxiety disorder is an anxiety disorder that can be treated with medication. But, again, I think you're jumping the gun here. Leon et al. was talking about typical shyness people experience with dating. This isn't a disorder, but more something almost every single person faces. It's simply something you have to work on, as Karried has mentioned.

Screw that.. beer.
Helps white guys dance too:kicking:

Used to be but not anymore. Now it's just the opposite I usually open mouth and insert foot more often than not.

Same here. I used to be so shy back in middle/high school, was teased and picked on for it, and some thought I was a snob because I was quiet.

No one would think that now heh. I'm a teacher, so being shy is NOT an option!

What kind of broke me of my shyness was just getting out more and making it a point to ask women out more, even though I knew I would get turned down it just helped me build my confidence, so getting turned down was a good experience, if that makes any sense at all.

:kicking:

I'm not shy! That is probably the problem.
Need to learn how to hold back alittle I guess. You can tell if I like someone and I'm real quite. But for the most part I'm quite the extravert when it comes to most any situation.
I'm usually not afraid of making a fool of myself at my own expense. But I look at it that how else will people get to know me and how else do you show your true colors/self.
Lets be REAL okay? :sofa: