Overcoming Shyness and Getting Rid of Anxiety

An important part of personal growth is learning how to overcome shyness and control anxiety. Being shy and socially awkward is a terrible affliction. Nearly everyone will experience shyness to some degree. If you suffer from shyness and feelings of anxiety, there are steps you can take to become more confident and self assured. Photo by dusdin In order to stop being shy and gain confidence in yourself, it helps to understand what causes you to be shy. Shyness—like confidence and anxiety and cheerfulness and depression and any other emotional experience—is a neurological condition. Every experience creates or reinforces a neurological pathway. If you suffer from shyness, you inadvertently created and reinforced certain neurological pathways that cause you to behave shyly. And every time you feel anxiety or respond in a shy manner you reinforce those pathways. It makes the task of overcoming shyness and putting an end to social anxiety a bit tricky, but it can be done. Learn the actions and behaviors that create self confidence, get rid of shyness, and reduce anxiety, and apply them over and over, day after day. Be patient and persistent, and positive change will happen. Get Confident and Self Assured With Posture Your neurological system extends throughout your body, and the way you use your body has a tremendous effect on your neurological state. Stand up straight, put your shoulders back and your chin up, and you will feel more confident. Go ahead, try it. Don't cross your arms, though. Crossing your arms can make you feel more self assured, but it can also be a way of blocking, putting a barrier between yourself and the world, which is a defensive gesture that comes from and reinforces anxiety. It all depends on the individual's interpretation. As you develop more self confidence within yourself you can begin crossing your arms confidently. Photo by judepics There is a connection between awkwardness in body and feeling socially awkward. You can increase your level of confidence by learning to move gracefully. Take up yoga, tai chi, or dancing. All of these activities retrain your body's neurological system to move and hold yourself with more self confidence and assurance and poise. Proper Diet Reduces Anxiety and Helps Overcome Shyness Your neurological system depends on your physiological well being. Everything you ingest has an effect on your neurology. It's obvious with drugs and alcohol, though perhaps less so with cigarettes, which can cause you to feel more anxious. But even the food you eat creates a physiological state that supports specific neurological states. Proper diet and exercise is essential if you want to stop feeling shy, reduce stress, and feel confident and self assured. Eat less red meat and less meat overall, less fat, and only fat from good sources, a lot more vegetables and some fruit, no refined sugars or processed flour, whole grain only, and you may want to cut out sources of gluten—gluten intolerance is much more common than many people realize. You also need to become more active, even if that just means taking frequent walks. Physical fitness is tied to neurological fitness. You will feel more confident if you support positive neurological states There is much more to learn about reducing stress, overcoming anxiety, and how to stop being shy, but this will get you started in the right direction. You can do it. Decide to start living a better life today and get yourself moving forward to your goals.