There a numerous routes you can go, but I'll just name a couple:
-You can imbibe intoxicants (not too many) before going out and trying to meet new girls. This has problems in that a) it doesn't work for everyone b) girls don't like drunk ass guys being stupid (if you drink too much) c) it can be harmful to your body and d) the side-effects involve motor skills/cognitive abilities as well. Advantage is that it's quick and easy to do.
-You can go to a counsellor/psychiatrist. There are cheap and perfectly serviceable solutions (such as grad student psych majors) for this. This has problems in that a) people feel weird about getting conselling, and it's even worse for shy people b) it does cost a bit of money (but can be as cheap as eating at McDonald's twice a week) c) you may have to "shop around", because different consellors use different psychological perspectives to try to help you d) it doesn't work for everyone either and e) it can take a while. Advantages: you may learn long-term coping skills for shyness, and it is not detrimental to your health in any fashion.
Actually, those are the main two I can think of. Most individual advice that you'll get will be sketchy, at best. Hearsay and "it worked for me" types of fixes are generally limited in scope, and you may go through a lot of different types of advice before finding something that works, if you find something that works for you at all. Also, a lot of it is totally unhelpful such as "dude, just go talk to them" or "yeah, I used to be like that, but now I'm not so you can do it!" Don't get me wrong; they're nice sentiments normally (although sometimes not), but the helpful factor is in low if even existent.
edit: I just read Dingo's advice, and I agree on the part about being in groups (I know this counts as "individual advice", but it's a pseudo-consensus :P ). If you're there with people you know, the focus is taken off of you; problem is, this doesn't necessarily help with your shyness, it just allows you to interact while still having it.
Last edited by Suave; 11-19-2004 at 12:44 PM..
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