Hi,
Today I was hanging out with two of my friends, then we met people who knew my friends; throughout our conversation, I stayed quiet, which has frequently occurred to me, I become so nervous around people. I feel this way everywhere. I believe that if I speak, they will not listen to me, or I have nothing to say.
I’m Just wondering how others effortlessly and easily join the conversation. And kindly provide any advice you may have on overcoming your anxiety around strangers.
Thank you.
5 comments
Practice. And, healing trauma. Two prongs of attack on your problem.
A tip I figured out personally is you have to look into their eyes when speaking, this is the portal of communication, they’ll have no choice but to listen intentively.
If you’re not sure about what to say, asking questions can be a great way to be actively involved in a conversation without having to carry said conversation. It takes practice, so don’t beat yourself up if you aren’t as vocal as you want to be right away.
Don’t have an easy answer, but you might have [selective mutism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selective_mutism). Maybe researching it will help.
I think there is a “flow” to group conversations. If you stay quiet at the start, it’s easy for others to stop paying attention to you.
Imo what you should do in a situation like yours (you are with friends but you meet a bunch of strangers) is immediately start talking to the new people. Establish yourself as part of this conversation.