What is Shyness to You

  You enter a room and you are greeted with a sea of unfamiliar faces.

Suddenly your heart beats faster, your hands become sweaty, you have this feeling like you want to run for cover; you are probably experiencing shyness.

Shyness is the feeling of withdrawal and ineptness when facing situations a person is unfamiliar with.

Every one of us at one time in our lives felt shy or unconfident in a certain situation.

Shyness is a natural feeling and you should not feel bad if you become shy. Everybody experiences it.

Did you know that almost half of the United States adult population is believed to be shy? Another fact, shyness has increased at about 10% over the last decade.

In children shyness is also normal. Children experience a lot of situations that are unfamiliar to them and face different people including strangers who they haven’t seen before so the initial reaction for them is to be shy.

When do people experience shyness?

A person has a tendency to be shy during social gatherings especially if most of the people in these events are unknown to that person. Some people feel uncomfortable when in a group of people that they do not personally know because they are uncertain on how they would interact with the guests or what specific actions they should do. It is normal to be shy during these kinds of situations but there is a point that a person should become at ease and used to these kinds of social gatherings.

Another common situation that a person can become shy is when in front of a lot of people. Most people tend to be shy when the entire group’s attention is focused on them. Certain situations like speaking in front of a crowd or presenting to a lot of people can induce shyness.

Among teens and young adults, one situation that usually brings out their shyness is during dates with the opposite sex. Dates are usually spontaneous and vague; you may never know what will happen next so you tend to be shy. You try to impress your date but at the same time you feel shy and nervous. The feeling of shyness is most common during first dates.

Being introduced to a person for the first time can also bring out the shy person in you. Because people do not know anything about the person they are being introduced to or because they are unfamiliar with them, they tend to be shy.

Being complimented with the way you look, speak, act, or being complimented for your work can also bring about shyness. Some people become self-conscious and shy when they are given compliments.

Most shy people tend to avoid being caught in these situations because they do not want to feel uncomfortable.

Shyness is not necessarily bad because it is a normal feeling but there are actually negative things that can be caused by shyness. If a person is shy then he or she can miss out on a lot of opportunities that may have contributed to that person’s success.

For instance in a certain situation, a man knows he has excellent skills in drawing and painting, but because he is too shy to showcase his talent, he misses out on a lot of opportunities that could have made him a famous painter.

Another negative effect that shyness has on some people is that it affects their social life. They have a hard time interacting with strangers and new people that they meet so making friends is also difficult. Shy people feel terrible because one of the basic human needs is the need for social interaction and longing for human affection and they have a hard time satisfying these needs because of shyness.

Shyness has different levels and it can vary from being mild to moderate to extreme shyness. Social anxiety or social phobia is different from shyness because the former are considered more severe cases of shyness and people who experience these usually seek the help of medical professionals. Persons who have social anxiety or social phobia have a hard time interacting with other people thus hampering their daily tasks. It really is a serious issue that needs to be handled by professionals.