4 Keys to Overcoming Shyness at Work

Tips for learning not to let excessive shyness paralyze you at work.

Shyness is just another aspect of many people's personalities, and as such it can be accepted or even be something to be proud of.

However, in many cases, when shyness is present at very high levels, it leads to problems in almost all areas of life, including the professional side.

In this article we will take a look at some useful psychological tips to overcome shyness. useful psychological tips to overcome excessive shyness at work..

What is shyness?

Shyness is a state of mind characterized by fear of what others will think. fear of what others will think of you.. Therefore, it often goes hand in hand with a predisposition to totally or partially avoid certain social interactions with people one knows little or not at all, and the idea of being ridiculed or rejected causes discomfort even before these encounters take place.

Thus, shy people, those who generally manifest a high level of shyness, live their social life on the basis of predictions that they will be rejected or ridiculed, live their social life on the basis of pessimistic predictions about the impression they will make on their interlocutors or, in some cases, even on the basis of pessimistic predictions about the impression they will make on their interlocutors. or, in some cases, even those who look at them without engaging them in conversation.

Shyness becomes a trait with such a capacity to express itself in many situations that it is also considered a personality trait. However, as we will see, it can be modified through learning and experience.

Why can showing a lot of shyness at work be a problem?

Shyness is not in itself a trait that is always disadvantageous.. Although it is true that in most countries of Western culture being a shy person tends to be seen as a defect, in reality this assessment is very arbitrary and subjective. For example, in certain Asian countries it is seen as a virtue, and in certain situations it is even useful.

However, as with so many other traits in psychology, it all depends on the degrees or levels of intensity. Extreme shyness is, in most cases, a source of problems. And although it is possible to it is possible to "tame it" over time and learn to overcome itThis is complicated without professional psychological assistance.

In the professional and work context, some of the most frequent problems caused by excessive shyness are the following:

• Difficulties in "connecting" with others outside the formal relationships of the company's operations.
• Fear of applying for one's own job or promotion that involves interacting more with strangers or semi-unknowns.
• Fear of communicating bad news can cause problems to accumulate in teamwork.
• Serious difficulties in performing in customer service positions, or in commercial tasks.

All these are some of the problems that often affect very shy people without the need for them to have developed a psychopathology.. But if their shyness reaches the point of being considered a symptomatology of social phobia, there are even more problems to deal with; those who suffer from this kind of disorder may even absent themselves from work or not perform part of their tasks in order to avoid certain social interactions.

4 tips to overcome shyness in the professional context.

Apply these recommendations to your daily life at work to learn how to overcome your shyness in the work context.

1. Estimate the amount of time you spend on informal interactions each day.

For a week or two, roughly quantify the amount of time you spend on informal conversations during breaks and leisure events with co-workers. This will help you establish a "baseline" of what you are used to. Your goal is to be able to tolerate a significant increase in this average number of minutes per day well, to be able to expose yourself to it, and to be able to take advantage of it.being able to expose yourself to it without feeling bad.

2. Look for symmetry in conversations.

To avoid a "defensive" attitude in your more or less informal conversations with your work colleagues, it is a good idea to make sure that you do not adopt a passive role in your dialogues. Make others also think about making a good impression on you: state your opinions assertively, ask questions to get to know your interlocutor better, etc. In short, put the ball in their court.

3. Notice the mistakes that others make when conversing with other co-workers.

Becoming aware of these small imperfections and realizing that nobody pays too much attention to them will help you to assume that they are normal, so that you lose your fear of them and stop trying to avoid falling into them at all costs.

4. Write down important information that must be communicated and plan to pass it on that day.

Setting these clear time limits will help you avoid the temptation to put off "for another day" those awkward moments when you have to communicate bad news. those uncomfortable moments when you have to communicate bad news..

Looking for psychological assistance?

If you are thinking of overcoming your shyness problem by going to a psychologist, I invite you to contact me. I am an expert psychologist in the cognitive-behavioral model, which is very effective in adopting new habits and alternative ways of relating to others, and I treat adults and adolescents. You can count on my services both in my office located in Madrid and through online sessions by video call.