How do you break out of being shy around others?

Question

I'm a junior in high school and when I'm around my friend's friends and around girls sometimes I just seem to float to the back of the crowd. How can I avoid doing this without being annoying or obnoxious.

Answer 1

Hard to believe I know, but I am shy also.
I have been working on coming out of my shell
also. I do this by approaching others at parties
and other gatherings and start talking to them.
It is something that I am working on to improve
my social skills in large gatherings.
So my advice to you is to just go out and do it.
Email me back after you tried it and tell me how it went.
We can both get over this. :-)

Answer 2

There are two things that have helped me. If you can try to make a friend (or at least be around someone enough to observe them) who is really outgoing, you can observe how they start conversations with others. Once you know how they act, it is easy to start imitating them.

The second thing is to take the pressure off by asking yourself "what's the worst that could happen"? Let's say you say something stupid--so, what's the worst that could happen? People may laugh but they will eventually forget all about it. The key, I think, to successful socializing is to be "light" and to really, truly not expect any specific outcome and to not care all that much what other people think.

Good luck!

Answer 3

Here's a litte phrase for you: carpe dium. Ever seen the dead poet's society? Well it means sieze the day. You're never going to break from being shy until you live each day like it's your last. Trust me, once you start acting like you don't care about what others think about you, anything is possible. You've just gotta stop hiding and start living.

Answer 4

Stand your ground, be a part of conversations, and just try to grow closer as friends. Soon, you should be comfortable to just walk up to them and start conversations yourself. I do this, and I've gained many friends that way over the years.