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Ask HN: If you used to be socially awkward and shy, how did you improve?

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Re: Ask HN: If you used to be socially awkward and shy, how did you improve?

#31
I forced myself to do improv theatre. When I started, I was terrified, I was shy and doing that was definitely out of my comfort zone but the group I found was very welcoming and it quickly felt fun. The great thing about improv is that you learn to simulate different situations, you learn to be careful about your posture and mannerism as you take on different roles.

For someone who was as shy as I was, it was not easy to get started but I think it's the single thing that helped me the most.

Another commenter mentions toastmasters, I tried that but it really wasn't for me, some friends had great success with it though.

Re: Ask HN: If you used to be socially awkward and shy, how did you improve?

#33

I forced myself to do improv theatre. When I started, I was terrified, I was shy and doing that was definitely out of my comfort zone but the group I found was very welcoming and it quickly felt fun. The great thing about improv is that you learn to simulate different situations, you learn to be careful about your posture and mannerism as you take on different roles. For someone who was as shy as I was, it was not ea…

There's a book Improv Wisdom written by a former leader of Stanford's improv club that I found deeply insightful. I was looking into improv to address my social anxiety a while ago, sadly this was at the start of pandemic when everything shut down. Maybe I should go for it again.

Re: Ask HN: If you used to be socially awkward and shy, how did you improve?

#34
I would actually recommend dropping this line of questioning. It's perfectionist. And treating it as a problem that needs to be solved (in effect treating you as a problem to be solved) just puts extra scrutiny/attention/pressure on it that will make it worse. It's just a habit that you will grow out of naturally with more experience around people. And that will happen faster if you forgive yourself, accept yourself as you are, and accept each situation as it is and each person as they are. A lot of situations are inherently awkward, will be less than perfect, and will bear no resemblance to the snappy scripted dialog in TV/movies. Wishing things were different from how they are, is 9 times out of 10 where the problem itself comes from - in your case being in an awkward situation, and being hyper-aware that it's awkward. Younger children are awkward but don't know it, and most of them seem happy enough. Forget about it. Everybody is at some level of gracefulness. Is everybody "awkward" who isn't perfect? Even Olympic figure skaters probably stub their toes on their coffee-table legs.

The other thing to realize is that the awkwardness is an inward-looking and (to apply a sort of judgmental slant on it) ultimately kind of self-indulgent habit. People around you are probably just as nervous and awkward as you, and seeking signs that it's okay and safe to be themselves. What signals are you giving them? You could be a leader to them, showing them the way. Be curious about them, reach out and ask them how they're doing, take an interest in them and what they have to say. That's the best way to forget about you, i.e. literally lose your self-consciousness. If nothing else it will at least take the spotlight off of you for a few seconds while they talk, which might be a relief. But people really appreciate when you take an interest in them, and they also appreciate (this will sound a touch cynical) the opportunity to talk about themselves. You will be well-liked. Although in the long run just don't give too much slack to people who latch onto you as a "good listener" and never give you a chance to talk! They should be willing to let you talk sometimes. And by the same token you should be ready and willing to share about yourself, not just asking questions about others like an interrogator. But in general, start with asking about and caring about others; that's the foundation of every meaningful relationship anyway.

Re: Ask HN: If you used to be socially awkward and shy, how did you improve?

#35
Marijuana. I stopped drinking and started using edibles, tinctures, and now a vaporizer. My social awkwardness came from social anxiety. The marijuana, more than any of the dozens of prescriptions I had, helped me overcome and deal with my anxiety.

Re: Ask HN: If you used to be socially awkward and shy, how did you improve?

#36
post #19

Not saying this is the best approach and it won't be a popular opinion, but drugs--particularly alcohol--were key to me breaking out of my shell.

I remain convinced that weed helped me a lot here. I also basically apprenticed myself to a couple of very charming extroverted people and learned what I could from them.

Re: Ask HN: If you used to be socially awkward and shy, how did you improve?

#38
post #19

Not saying this is the best approach and it won't be a popular opinion, but drugs--particularly alcohol--were key to me breaking out of my shell.

For alcohol at least, I don't think that's actually too unpopular an opinion. Drinking is a fairly universal social activity, and it's allowed me to meet and befriend a lot of people I probably wouldn't have otherwise.

Re: Ask HN: If you used to be socially awkward and shy, how did you improve?

#39
I didn't improve much over time, really. The big improvement is accepting who I am and being more conscious about pros and cons of various character traits.

Worth reading Rohr's book about the Enneagram; you don't need to care at all about the religious aspect of it but it explains that very often it's the stuff that can help you build up your life is also what makes you suffer, just manifesting in a different way. Learning to love both the darker and the brighter side of your personality helps with living a more harmonious life. (It does not necessarily help with those awkward moments, but you can accept them as a long distance runner accepts that there are hours when you suffer and hours when you enjoy the ride, and these don't exist without each other.)

Re: Ask HN: If you used to be socially awkward and shy, how did you improve?

#40

Toastmasters Advantages include * can be in person or remote * safe, businesslike environment with well-defined structure * no need to talk about anything personal * supportive for the very shy - go at your own pace * also challenging for those who don't think of themselves as shy - but have trouble delivering a 7 minute memorized speech in front of a large audience judging their performance

That doesn’t sound like it would help with every day awkwardness, does it? I presume that’s what OP wanted help with.
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