Understanding Your Shyness

                  Shyness is a universal problem which afflicts men and women of various age groups. There are various degrees of shyness: some people are mildly shy, some are quite shy, some are deeply shy and a few are pathologically shy. The problem of shyness has been around for a long time. According to Oxford Dictionary, the world ‘s  earliest recorded  use of the word “shyness” was  in an Anglo- Saxon poem written  around 1000 AD, in  which it meant “easily frightened”. One who is shy is easily frightened of people, especially new faces. In the company of familiar friends, his or her shyness disappears, and he can even appear gregarious, but in the company of strangers, his shyness overwhelms him. Shy people are timid and rarely initiate conversation in the company of strangers. In fact, in an unfamiliar social setting, they would find an excuse for getting away and being to themselves. Once alone, the shy man or woman castigates himself for the inability to relate to   people.

              Dominated by fear of doing something that would make him look foolish or ridiculous, he is adept at avoiding situations new or potentially threatening situations. It is this fear of making mistakes-any mistake that keeps the shy from taking risks or being adventurous. The worst thing therefore, that you can do to a shy person is to embarrass him or her in public. Though  deeply  analytical , most  shy  people  have  an inclination  to remain  silent , and when  they  do speak  they  are soft-spoken . They spend a lot of their precious time analyzing how people reacted to them. The deeply shy erroneously imagine that the world has nothing else to do but to point accusing fingers at them.

An innocent  remark, when  viewed  through  the analytical  microscope  of deeply  shy, can  come  out meaning  something  very  different  from what  the remark was intended  to convey . Some others enjoy their shyness because of   the privacy it offers them. They have the joy of being alone with their books, newspapers, and music which they enjoy more than being with people.