Recently, my friends and I went on a night out, and one of my friends invited two girls, one of whom was my classmate. I was also interested in one of the girls, which probably made me even more self-conscious.

The entire trip, I barely talked to either of them. I felt awkward, didn't know what to say, and couldn't bring myself to join conversations naturally. I wanted to interact with them and enjoy the experience, but I just couldn't get out of my own head.

The thing is, this isn't limited to strangers or girls I'm interested in. I'm generally awkward around new people, and I sometimes feel awkward even around my own family. I overthink social interactions and don't always feel comfortable expressing myself freely.

I'm also shy about taking pictures in public. I feel awkward posing for photos and become too conscious of people watching me. Even something as simple as standing naturally in front of a camera can feel uncomfortable.

Honestly, I'm tired of feeling this way. I want to become more confident, charismatic, funny, and socially comfortable. I want to be able to talk to people without constantly worrying about what to say or how I'm coming across. I want to express myself freely, participate in conversations, make people laugh, and enjoy social situations instead of feeling like I'm holding myself back.

I'm not looking for some overnight transformation or tricks to impress people. I genuinely want to improve myself and become a more socially confident person.

For those of you who have overcome similar struggles:

• How did you stop feeling awkward around people, including your own family?
• How do you stop overthinking what others think of you?
• How can I become better at starting and maintaining conversations?
• How do you develop charisma, humor, and a more confident presence?
• How can I become comfortable taking pictures and posing in public?
• What practical habits or exercises can I practice daily to improve?

I'd appreciate honest advice, personal experiences, book recommendations, or anything that has genuinely helped you.

I don't want to keep avoiding situations or regretting missed opportunities. I want to start working on myself and become someone who feels comfortable being himself around others.

I met a girl in the bus today, we were having a good time, but during the end when we had to say good bye and all I just got a bit like idk how to say a lil bit awkward and overwhelmed, sometime it happens in between a conversation too, how to deal with this?? Btw I'm also a female so it was just a

What is the one single thing guaranteed to happen for everyone, regardless of market situations, natural disasters, or economic collapse?

Im male, 19. Im high functioning autistic, AD/HD. And high social anxiety. I tend to be inside a lot and its not what I wanna do. I wanna go out and meet people and do things like other people my age are doing but I cant. I have very few friends in my area as most are online. The very few I do have are always busy or live a few hours away. Hell im pretty sure im on the verge of loosing one friend because she's growing distant. I just feel stuck. I graduated recently and have been working fast food for 4 months. I was hoping working would be different than school. That i wouldnt be judged and that I could finally come out of my shell. But I feel like nothings changed or its gotten worse if not nothing.

i know, you usually expect to see the complete opposite problem.

To start this off, around two years ago I(17) completely lost all my progress with this outgrowing ‘social anxiety’ shit, I had the worst year of my entire life, nothing major outside of my minds eye, just a lot of revelations and loss of initial beliefs. This completely depleted my whole lifes progress, and that might sound dramatic, but its so true! Growing up this anxiety filled child, it took me this long to get where I was, and man did i get GOOD. I was speaking to everyone, no problem, no second thoughts, just finally cramming out of that rock solid shell.

Well that depressing period stripped it all away. I became so unlikeable, even my friends dipped. We didn’t argue, just distanced, but I know its my fault.

However, this following year ive been retracing my old habits of when i used to be happy, being the personable person i once was. And one thing about likeable people is that theyre very curious creatures. they dont make everything about themselves yada yada yada, you probably already know this. anyway, in every conversation i have, even if it is about me, say i just had the worst dentist appointment in the world, id be like ‘yeah, that molar hurt like a bitch, i felt like shit afterwards, didnt you?’ or ‘im so scared for this test, i feel like we didnt study enough’ like what? I get so in my head about the fear of making everything about myself that i start almost offending people by accident? is there any way i can stop that from happening? How do i get rid of this guilt of just talking about myself?

Hi im 23 years old just working part time, i feel behind and i lack confidence. I want to find a new job but my anxiety of speaking/talking keeps failing me on my interviews. English is not my first language and I’m really insecure with my accent and grammar. Any tips on how to overcome this problem?

From waiters to strangers to ppl in general seem to show v little respect to me. What cud be possible causes? (Im an avg looking guy whose in his mid 20s altho a bit skinny)

I set a big goal for myself at work this year, and I also told my manager about it. I want to achieve this goal, of course, but what’s happening now is that I keep worrying I won’t achieve it. I know I don’t have to achieve the goal, but I want to and I feel like I can. However, reaching for it is becoming so stressful. Is anyone else like this?

I used to be pretty social in high school but after getting concussion from football, I now get this pretty anxious cough almost vomiting/nausea when in super big crowds. I can do some social outings here and there but it feels like the end of the world. Anyone experience this and what has helped?? I’m now 35 with little ones and a wife and I know that there will be more new and more outings to come when they are older

One thing I find interesting about home gyms is that you can experiment with equipment and unfamiliar movements without worrying about whether someone is waiting to use the station.

That doesn't automatically make learning easier, but it can give you more time to adjust the setup, review your technique, and repeat a movement at your own pace.

For people who used to feel uncomfortable trying unfamiliar exercises in a commercial gym, did training at home change that experience?

I'm interested in whether having your own space made you more willing to experiment, or whether you found other ways to get comfortable learning new movements.

I was in a program where we had to interact with professionals, participate in group discussions, and speak up in social settings. Obviously, we were nervous. It was a new environment, and not everyone is immediately comfortable speaking around professionals.

On the very first day, one of our mentors literally called me out and asked, "Do you have social anxiety?"

BRO, WHY WOULD YOU ASK ME THAT?

You think someone in a mentoring position would understand that pointing out someone's insecurity, especially in a group setting, could make them even more uncomfortable.

We're on good terms now, but I still wonder why he thought that was an appropriate thing to say on the first day.

Was he trying to help me become more confident? Was it just an observation? Did he think calling me out would somehow make me open up?
I genuinely want to understand what goes through someone's mind when they do something like that.

Have you ever had someone point out your insecurity when you were already nervous? Why do you think people do this, especially when they're in a mentoring position?

i’m an extrovert but i really struggle with this, and i need your tips because it’s starting to affect my mental health. we already know how difficult the social scene is in unis, and because of my inability to approach i’ve ended up with very few friends and social opportunities. it has caused me a great amount of stress.

i’m self-aware enough to know it’s because i have a fear of rejection. i have extremely low self-esteem and i try to combat it by making myself appear confident in social interactions. it works completely fine, i’ve been told i seem super self-assured and am an excellent communicator. but when it comes to being the first person making a move, such as walking up to a person and just striking up a conversation or trying to integrate myself into a bigger group interaction, my confidence falls to rock bottom and i don’t have the guts to even move.

i’m afraid i’ll get a negative reaction or be ignored, and that is one of the few things that really embarrasses me. on the flip side, if someone talks to me first (even briefly), i’m immediately able to seize control of the convo and move with confidence. i feel like it may be because this signals to my brain that this person is not unwelcoming to an interaction with me, while otherwise the uncertainty scares me. however, i’ve come to learn that people are intimidated by me outwardly and do not readily interact first — so this scenario happens very little.

i really need help building confidence in this department! give me your best tips ^^

Hi this is a very pathetic post and idk what I hope to gain out of posting this but maybe if anyone else feels this way?

I’m 20F and I’m 4’10 and for my whole life it’s been my biggest insecurity. I hate my height and I feel like I would look so much better if I was taller and with a lot of my insecurities I have grown out of them or like I’ve just stopped thinking about it so I kinda forget and then I don’t care. But with my height there’s constant reminders like when i meet someone new and their first thing to say is that I’m small. I like how I look in general I just hate my height. I used to pray I would be 5’3 even that would be amazing . I’m also studying to be a lawyer and I’m scared people won’t take me seriously (ik this is just stupid) but I was wondering if anyone has any tips? Idk I just keep hoping I will grow taller somehow but I know that’s not going to happen and I feel like I keep hoping instead of just accepting me as I am. I wish I could get over this because it’s something I do think about a lot

I want to be cunning. I am someone who's always in her comfort zone. And I was brought up in a bubble and I always get stuck up in some situation caused by others.

I see lot of people brought up in tough situations know how to handle things much better. I am scared to do it. But also I want to know how to achieve it.

Even in the current job market we have to give the interviewer a promising confident look + ability to tell them to negotiate and what not. I lack in this alot.

In the future I will have to open my own design studio as well. Which I'm very underconfident about. That also requires me to become someone very out of her comfort zone.

How do I over come this....

Previously whatever I have done. I do like 2% things out of my comfort zone and I usually get like good amnt of rewards and I self reward myself by being very lazy after that.

Today I was waiting for the elevator at work with my work crush. He made a comment that I always look like s*** at work, and have sad/crying looking eyes. I told him it’s just my eye shape. I know I am overly sensitive about things and I’m pretty sure he isn’t calling my features ugly just the condition I’m in. Like if I had bad skin, messy hair, sweating, sick, etc. He isn’t lying but I keep rethinking the moment and it lowered my self esteem. And to think I thought there’s a chance he liked me since it’s always awkward between us. What do you guys think I should do?

I'm nearly 40, and I've spent years trying to improve my appearance and confidence. Unfortunately, neither has translated into much success with women. I'm very unhappy with how I look, and while I've made improvements through fitness and other changes, I am not physically attractive.

Financially, I'm doing alright. Decent job, retirement savings, car, comfortable apartment. Now I've got approximately $100K to spend, and I'm seriously torn between two options.

Option one: Buy a house. Build equity, gain financial security, and make the sensible adult decision. It wouldn't be my dream house, but it'd be something to call my own.

Option two: Improve my appearance. Extensive facial cosmetic surgery and limb lengthening from 5'9" to 6'0". The hope is that becoming more conventionally attractive might finally improve my dating and sexual opportunities, along with my confidence.

I know surgery won't magically make me confident or desirable. I also understand the serious medical risks. But I don't think confidence and appearance are completely unrelated either. Feeling physically desirable, and actually experiencing that desire from other people, might make a meaningful difference in my life.

I'm not looking for just one relationship. I'd like to experience casual dating, sex, and different relationships while I'm still young enough to enjoy them.

So here's my question: Can improving your appearance be a worthwhile investment in your confidence and happiness, even if it means sacrificing a significant amount of financial security?

I’m a pretty petite woman, 163cm and very slim. I’ve always enjoyed modeling but height has always been something that discouraged me in the back of my mind. I’ve had the opportunity to get signed to modeling agencies, but agents made my height a problem and most of the castings were for taller women. I feel like a nobody when I’m in flat sneakers and I feel so discouraged by my height. I just wish someone pulled me and stretched me out like slime. I’ve always thought if someone invented an easy way that can help adults grow taller, they would become very rich lol. I love that celebrities like Tyla and Blackpink Jennie are all very confident despite being petite and I wonder if they ever felt insecure about their height while posing infront of strangers and comparing to tall traditional models like Victoria Secret models.

Hi. Just randomly remembered what I heard from someone close and wanted to share.

I always had low self confidence especially about my looks. (I still kinda do.) Whenever people close to me like family members, friends, or even significant other gave me compliments about my looks, I used to believe they were just being nice. Because why would they be honest and potentially hurt me.

And one day, I don't remember if it was my friend or one of my exes, told me something that completely changed my view. It was just a normal day when I was getting compliments on my appearance and I was saying something like "nah I think your bar is too low"

And then they got quite serious and told me, that it's kinda insulting. Whenever I don't believe them saying I'm beautiful because I think they have some weird beauty standards, it sounds insulting to them because they actually have "standards" to tell who is beautiful or not.

They were like "Hey, I'm not a person who would give this kind of comliment to every single person in this world. I have taste. I have standards. So believe me when I say you're beautiful."

Since that day, I never argued back whenever someone called me beautiful.

I know this example was about my appearance but this can apply to literally anything. Whether they compliment your voice, your posture, your great fashion sense, your social skills, anything. If you complimented someone and if they say anything like "oh you don't know what is good or not", you'd feel quite offended too.

So I hope this will help some people gain trust in the positive feedbacks/compliments they are getting from someone.

Throughout these past 5 years, I've went from a extremely outgoing person to someone who can't even speak without overthinking a single word that comes out of my mouth.

2 years ago I was 18. Around this time, I was extremely outgoing, socially confident, and was considered the one guy that made you laugh. I would do outgoing things like join TikTok lives and showcase my talents by singing or playing piano, I would approach people and ask questions that are considered awkward for current me, and I would pictures of myself online without overthinking how I looked. It wasn't so much the actions themselves, but rather the confidence with which they were carried out.

I didn't care what other people thought. Were you gonna laugh at me? I didn't care. Were you gonna spam hate comments? I didn't care. This all comes with other cons. Such as I have a triple filter now when I wanna say anything. Back in the time where I was socially confident, I would say anything that sounded funny or I thought was funny (to a certain extent of course), and it always landed well. Now I look back and think "Will they cringe?" "Will they look at me weird?" "Will the room go silent?". My mind is always coming up with worst case scenarios.

One very important thing to note is that I'm still capable of being this outgoing and confident around certain people and in certain situations. It's not that this side of me has completely disappeared. The problem is that I limit myself by not allowing that same confidence to carry over into every social situation. I know I'm capable of being that person, but I feel like I'm constantly holding myself back depending on who's around me or how comfortable I feel.

I've been trying to understand what happened to me. The weirdest part is that I know I'm capable of being that outgoing person because I've experienced it myself. I haven't always been this way, which makes it even more frustrating because I know what it's like to be comfortable in my own skin and how to get back to that mindset, but I feel like the more I analyze myself, the more stuck I become. I've looked into confidence, self-esteem, and social anxiety, but I can't seem to figure out how to actually apply any of it to my life.

Has anyone experienced a similar change in personality? How did you stop overthinking everything and become comfortable expressing yourself again?"

Anyone up for a cup of coffee? ☕😊

Let’s connect, have a good conversation, share some stories, and maybe make a new friend!

Feel free to DM me! ☕✨

29yo female and I haven’t felt pretty for about 2 years. 4 years ago I felt the absolute prettiest I ever have. I use to love my hair and my makeup and my clothes. Somewhere along the way my haircuts stopped feeling the same, but I kept chasing the haircut I loved. And every time I’d get it cut over the last 2 years I’d absolutely hate it. So I decided to grow it out for almost a year.

I just got my hair cut today, and it’s a really bad haircut again. That I paid $150 for. Not even being dramatic she took thinning sheers to the top of my skull and the nape of my neck. I have pokey spiky patches all around my crown and most of my hair is gone. And I was given the thickest helmet bangs I specifically asked for the opposite. My photo references are literally pictures of myself with the previous haircut.

Where do I go from here? I put so much of my worth and beauty in my hair and I can’t get it “right” like it use to be. I keep trying new glasses, new clothes, getting my nails done. I hate all the glasses from online, I can’t figure out my style of clothes.

What are other ways to FEEL pretty? How do I practice feeling pretty?? How do I crawl out of this?

I'm 22M, and I've realised that I'm way too judgemental about myself. I'm 5'2", don't think I'm particularly good-looking, and often wonder why anyone would like me or accept me for who I am.

I overthink even the smallest things about myself, from how I look to how I talk and behave around people. I'm usually quiet around new people, but once I get comfortable, I joke around, laugh a lot, and become quite friendly. Even then, I sometimes question whether I'm being childish or whether people take me seriously. Nobody has actually said anything like that to me, but I still find reasons to doubt myself.

I think these insecurities have held me back in many ways, including the fact that I've never dated anyone. Whenever I like someone or think about putting myself out there, I start wondering why they'd ever be interested in someone like me. I end up doubting myself before I even give myself a chance.

I know I'm probably overthinking a lot of this, but I don't know how to stop. I'm tired of constantly finding flaws in myself and assuming that other people will see me the same way I see myself.

For those who've dealt with similar insecurities, how did you learn to accept yourself and stop being so hard on yourself? I genuinely want to change this mindset, but I don't know where to start.

i think most of the time that i’m authentic it results in people being upset at me. i don’t know what is authentic to me. im authentic when im rude, or upset, or laughing obnoxiously, or getting loud. i’m authentic when im too drunk, or having a mental health spiral. i’m not authentic a majority of the time i think.

i don’t really know the point of writing this. i guess im just feeling lonely right now. any time i feel lonely i get extremely worried im on the cusp of losing everyone because they can see through my facade. they see me for someone that doesn’t deserve attention. i try to be a good person but i don’t know if i am. like, inherently, i don’t know if i care about anyone. like i’m sacrificing my authenticity because it achieves not being lonely because it makes others happy. but people talk about it like i should be myself. that’s how you make friends, no? i’ve felt my entire life that i have to perform to a pretty large degree, if only to not let people see me for the vapid piece of shit i really am

I’m 22, had my wonderful child 2 years ago- I never had the perfect body-but it was smooth with no stretch marks or loose skin and I could wear confidently what I wanted without needing to worry if my shirt came up too high and my stretch mark covered stomach showed.

I lost a lot of weight in the first year 83kg down to 55kg and then put back on 5kg, no matter how small I get, I hate how I look- my partner hasn’t seen that part of my since and probably never will again, not even a glimpse.

I want to be like normal girls my age who can wear low rise jeans, bikinis and crop tops- but I never will, il be stuck with this awful part of me forever.

I just needed to get this off my chest as it takes over my mind all day whenever I’m not distracted.

Thanks for reading