What is shyness, anyway?
— Shyness is feeling uncomfortable in social situations in ways that interfere with our ability to enjoy ourselves, to perform at the level we’re capable of or that cause us to avoid social situations altogether. Shyness can vary from feeling mild to moderate discomfort in one or more areas of our life (e.g., meeting new people, public speaking, attending social functions, dating, making cold calls at work) to debilitating levels of anxiety that impact us in almost everything we do. When shyness is more intense, it is often described as social anxiety, social phobia or panic disorder. The latter terms are diagnostic terms used by health care professionals who treat people struggling with more intense forms of social discomfort. Because shyness can affect one area of our life and not others, it’s possible for shy people to appear outgoing to people looking in from the outside. Most of you have heard of actors who go on stage and deliver a brilliant performance, but are shy and timid in
