How do I overcome shyness?

Hi everyone!
I'm sorry if this topic has already been covered. For as long as I can remember, I've always been pretty shy—unless I'm hanging out with my inner circle of close friends. I honestly thought I had just accepted that this was who I was, but now that I've graduated from college, it’s becoming a massive hurdle. Even though I know I'm great at what I do, I completely freeze up during job interviews. My voice starts shaking, my mind goes blank, and I just can't present my best self. 🤷 It’s getting really frustrating, and I’m feeling a bit lost on how to fix it. Does anyone have any advice on how to push past this? I can't just stay home knowing I'm missing out on opportunities because I struggle to make a good first impression.🤦

Just try to be yourself during those job interviews, you know? It’s really not that big of a deal. You show up, see what the vibe is, listen, ask some questions, and go from there. Honestly, my best advice is to hunt for those listings that actually include a direct phone number. Dealing with all those endless email chains, resumes, and formal cover letters is just such a massive drag, don't you think?

wiredcobra96 said:Hi everyone!
I'm sorry if this topic has already been covered. For as long as I can remember, I've always been pretty shy—unless I'm hanging out with my inner circle of close friends. I honestly thought I had just accepted that this was who I was, but now that I've graduated from college, it’s becoming a massive hurdle. Even though I know I'm great at what I do, I completely freeze up during job interviews. My voice starts shaking, my mind goes blank, and I just can't present my best self. 🤷 It’s getting really frustrating, and I’m feeling a bit lost on how to fix it. Does anyone have any advice on how to push past this? I can't just stay home knowing I'm missing out on opportunities because I struggle to make a good first impression.🤦

Just a little calming pill—nothing crazy, just enough to take the edge off... honestly, the only tricky part is figuring out which one actually works for you...
Medicine's gonna hit you with those years where you finally realize that nobody actually gives a damn about you—everyone’s just looking out for their own skin and seeing the whole world through their own narrow, selfish little lens... and honestly? There's nothing left to do but just keep your head up and push through the wall if you have to, since you haven't got much to lose anyway. No one has the right to judge you, and none of what people say or think about you actually matters...

Let me whisper one quick thing before we get into this, totally serious.

First, you’ve got to beat HIV; dealing with shyness is actually the easy part...

Nenad Bakić -Careers

wiredcobra96 said:Hi everyone!
I'm sorry if this topic has already been covered. For as long as I can remember, I've always been pretty shy—unless I'm hanging out with my inner circle of close friends. I honestly thought I had just accepted that this was who I was, but now that I've graduated from college, it’s becoming a massive hurdle. Even though I know I'm great at what I do, I completely freeze up during job interviews. My voice starts shaking, my mind goes blank, and I just can't present my best self. 🤷 It’s getting really frustrating, and I’m feeling a bit lost on how to fix it. Does anyone have any advice on how to push past this? I can't just stay home knowing I'm missing out on opportunities because I struggle to make a good first impression.🤦

If you haven't already, you should definitely start getting into some kind of sport🙂 .

Besides being a great way to decompress, it gives you such a huge boost of self-confidence...

Have you ever thought about sitting down with a therapist for some counseling?

In my opinion, it might be worth seeing someone just to pick their brain for a few pointers🙂 .

My therapist actually taught me a few breathing techniques—he practices Gestalt therapy—and let me tell you, it has been a total lifesaver whenever I find myself in a high-stress situation🙂 .

Personally, I’ve had a few job interviews over the last couple of weeks, and everything went incredibly well.

I truly believe things will go just as smoothly for you too🙂 .

Hang in there—you can do this!

Betty Fowler said:First, you’ve got to beat HIV; dealing with shyness is actually the easy part...

Wait, what? The US military?

Carl Rivera43 said:Wait, what? The US military?

Hey Carl Rivera43, do you prefer them shy or more outspoken? 🍿

I find they’re mostly just more gentle {and if they happen to be feeling extra friendly, I’d gladly give them my full attention}

You really need to aim a bit higher than that.
Basically—a total ego reset.

Stop making a fool of yourself. You’ll see soon enough that you’re just like everyone else. What is there to be ashamed of?

Look, if you want my two cents—just go out there and volunteer. It’s the easiest way to actually get some skin in the game and start building a resume without needing ten years of experience first. Plus, once you realize you aren't totally clueless, that confidence boost starts kicking in.

Sent from my NEM-L21 via Reddit

https://www.ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_...s_who_you_are?

Just sign up for those dance classes. You’re gonna feel totally awkward at first—just like everyone else—until you realize everybody is just as lost as you are. It's actually kind of a relief being around people who aren't judging your mistakes; it makes you realize the whole thing is mostly just in your head. You end up building this mental wall of pressure, which turns into fear, and then—boom—that's where the shyness comes from.

I can't make sense of this one—there's nothing here to work with. Give me some actual content to transform. kaže:
Hey everyone.
Sorry if this topic has already been covered... Anyway, I’ve always been a pretty shy person—at least, that's how I've always seen myself—unless I'm around people I’ve known forever and actually trust. I had mostly made my peace with it, thinking it was just part of my DNA, but now that I’ve finally graduated, it's turning into a massive headache. Even though I know I’m actually good at what I do, I completely freeze up during job interviews. My voice starts shaking, my mind goes blank, and I just can't find the right words—which means I never actually get to show them what I'm capable of. 🤷 It’s starting to get under my skin—really getting to me—and I’m honestly at a loss. Does anyone have any actual advice on how to move past this? I can't just sit around the house anymore, knowing that I'm being rejected simply because of how I'm presenting myself.🤦

You really need to work on your self-confidence. Low self-esteem is pretty much the root cause of shyness—it’s that constant, nagging worry about what everyone else thinks of you that keeps you in a state of perpetual tension and anxiety. That's the core issue right there. As for techniques to help you settle down before stressful situations—so you can actually handle them without spiraling—give meditation or deep breathing exercises a shot. They’re incredibly effective at calming the nerves, even if it takes some time before you start seeing real results. Still, it's a much better path than relying on anti-anxiety pills, where you just end up building up a tolerance anyway.

Direct this toward Mr. Vasisthi

wiredcobra96 said:Hi everyone!
I'm sorry if this topic has already been covered. For as long as I can remember, I've always been pretty shy—unless I'm hanging out with my inner circle of close friends. I honestly thought I had just accepted that this was who I was, but now that I've graduated from college, it’s becoming a massive hurdle. Even though I know I'm great at what I do, I completely freeze up during job interviews. My voice starts shaking, my mind goes blank, and I just can't present my best self. 🤷 It’s getting really frustrating, and I’m feeling a bit lost on how to fix it. Does anyone have any advice on how to push past this? I can't just stay home knowing I'm missing out on opportunities because I struggle to make a good first impression.🤦

Everything comes down to practice. Honestly, whenever I think back to how much I rambled during my very first interview, I cringe 😁.
Even now, ten years after landing my first role, I still managed to say some pretty stupid things during my last interview for a new position.
Most questions are pretty standard. Prepare ahead of time and just go for it. Once you've gone through a few interviews answering the same stuff, you'll start responding automatically.
And always be honest. Maybe polish a few details or turn something into a joke if you think it might come off poorly.
For instance, during my last interview (with a major global corporation in DE), they asked why my grades improved so linearly over my college years. I told them the truth: I didn't take freshman year seriously enough. Plus, coming from a top-tier high school meant I didn't have to study too hard for the basics like math, physics, or intro programming, so I had extra time that I... used differently. They just laughed and said, "Ah, the college lifestyle."

The people interviewing you are just regular people. Nothing special.

Bottom line: practice and preparation. Go through a few low-stakes interviews before you tackle the one that actually matters.