I am a likable person, and the friends I do have enjoy being around me. But I only have a few friends and I have a hard time making new ones.
I’m thinking this might be because I’m very reserved. When I first meet people, I don’t provide a lot of energy and I have a hard time opening up and showing my personality. I’m only really able to make friends when there’s a situation where I have to interact with them frequently over a long period of time. Eventually I become more comfortable around them, more open, and the relationship almost grows exponentially stronger.
In high school, I didn’t have to worry. Because I’d be sat next to the same people for months and there was no other option. But now in college that’s not the case. There’s no seating charts in any of my classes, and even if I end up frequently sitting next to somebody, there’s too much lecturing being done for there to be much time to talks
So I’m wondering, how can I be more initially comfortable with people and accelerate the development of a relationship with them?