Are you tired of being ignored in social situations all the time?
If so, then you need to learn how to stop being introverted.
And that’s exactly what we’re going to talk about today.
I’m about to share with you the exact same advice that I teach to our clients in our social skills coaching program.
What You'll Learn In This Post
1. Find Extroverted Friends
As the saying goes, you become the average of the people you spend the most time with.
If you’re wondering how to stop being introverted, make an effort to find more extroverted friends.
You can learn a lot from those who are naturally outgoing by studying them.
Pay attention to how they think and the way they act in social situations.
And then, do your best to emulate them as much as you can.
Over time, their mindsets and behaviors will rub off on you which will help you develop your social confidence much faster.
2. Develop Self-Awareness
Shyness and introversion are definitely not the same.
Unfortunately, most people don’t know what the difference is so allow me to explain.
Someone who’s introverted tends to lose energy from social interactions.
They get drained after talking to too many people and like to recharge by spending time alone.
When someone is shy, that means they’re afraid of interacting with others.
They want to make more connections but their fears hold them back from taking action.
That being said, introverts can be outgoing the same way that some extroverts can be timid as well.
If you’re a shy introvert, what you need to work on is improving your social confidence.
It’s not about being someone that you’re not.
That’s why developing self-awareness is so important.
If you haven’t already, I highly recommend you take an online personality test.
Doing so will give you a good understanding of your strengths and weaknesses.
The more you know who you are, the more comfortable you’ll feel in your own skin.
3. Come Up With Things To Talk About
As a social skills coach, I’ve worked with a lot of shy introverts in the past.
From what I’ve noticed, most of them tend to have awkward silences during their interactions.
If you want to know how to stop being introverted, then you need to prepare in advance.
Check out this video if you want to know how to be talkative with others.
To help you have things to say, take the time to come up with some stories that you can share.
Doing so will help you feel less nervous when you interact with people.
If you think about it, the same topics tend to come up in conversation over and over again anyway.
That being said, prepare some stories regarding your work, your upbringing, places you’ve been to, events you’ve attended, and your interests.
Try to stay up to date with trending topics as well.
Visit reputable news websites and follow their social media accounts so you can familiarize yourself with current events.
The more stories you put together, the easier it’ll be for you to figure out how to never run out of things to say.
You’ll experience less approach anxiety and be a lot more likely to speak up at any social gathering.
4. Appreciate Yourself More
Most people who struggle socially have a hard time controlling the way they think.
They often compare themselves to others that’s why they don’t feel good about themselves.
If you want to figure out how to stop being introverted, avoid doing this at all costs.
Instead, make an effort to think of what you like about yourself.
From Shy To Social
Discover proven steps to approach and talk to anybody no matter how shy you are.
In fact, this is one of the best confidence-building exercises that I know.
I want to tell you right now that there are a lot of good things about being an introvert.
You just have to focus on them more.
By doing so, you’ll prevent yourself from feeling like you’re not good enough, especially when you’re around other extroverts.
For example, introverts are naturally good listeners, deep thinkers, and are also very creative.
On the other hand, extroverts find it hard to work alone, get bored easily, and have poor listening skills.
Keep in mind that your mind can only contain one thought at any given moment.
You get to decide where you put your attention to.
Again, the more you focus on your positive traits, the better you’ll feel about yourself.
5. Avoid Ruminating Too Much
A lot of people who are shy and introverted tend to overanalyze everything.
They’re so worried about how they’re coming across which makes them feel nervous.
As a result, they freeze up in social situations and they can’t come up with the right things to say.
Check out this video if you want to know how to be outgoing if you have social anxiety.
If you want to know how to stop being introverted, you need to get out of your head.
The truth is, it’ll be hard to come across as someone charismatic if you’re not in the moment.
Don’t get me wrong, there’s definitely some value in thinking things through.
But ruminating too much can give you crippling anxiety.
From my experience, the best way to become more present is to start a meditation practice.
Every morning, I recommend you spend a few minutes having a quiet moment to be with yourself.
Close your eyes and focus on your breathing for a few minutes.
And then, just pay attention to your thoughts without any judgment.
Watch them come and go.
When you do this long enough, you’ll be able to slow down your mind and relax your body.
You’ll feel less stressed out and you’ll be able to think more clearly.
This will help you stop caring what others think of you which will allow you to show your true personality more.
6. Get Good At Making Small Talk
From what I’ve noticed, most introverts hate making small talk.
They want to jump into deep conversations right away.
Unfortunately, that’s just not how things work.
Think about it.
It’s pretty weird to ask someone you just met such a personal question, right?
If you want to learn how to stop being introverted, you need to be able to have casual conversations with others first.
If you imagine great interactions as a ladder, making small talk are the first few rungs.
You can’t really skip them because they’re necessary to get you to the next level.
Making small talk is also a good way to learn more about the person you’re chatting with.
By exchanging polite pleasantries first, you’ll be able to gather relevant information.
This will help you think of interesting topics to discuss and related stories that you can share.
By doing so, you’ll be able to build rapport with whoever you’re talking to much faster.
As you can see, making small talk is just a means to an end.
Instead of avoiding it, make an effort to get good at it.
The better you are at making small talk, the more meaningful connections you’re going to have.
7. Practice Self-Compassion
Most people who struggle socially don’t treat themselves well.
Whenever they make a mistake, they speak to themselves in a very demeaning way.
Now let me ask you a question.
If you talk to others the way you talk to yourself right now, would you still have friends?
Tired Of Feeling Lonely?
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If you’re wondering how to stop being introverted, you need to change your self-dialogue.
Be more encouraging and speak to yourself the same way you would to a good friend.
Practice self-compassion and remind yourself that you’re doing the best you could with what you know.
By doing so, you’ll take more risks and you won’t be afraid to make mistakes.
The more you put yourself out there, the faster you’ll learn how to be more socially confident.
8. Go To The Right Places
If you’re an introvert, you don’t have to go to loud bars and clubs to socialize like extroverts do.
Play to your strengths and be more intentional about your approach to connecting with others.
You can do this by adding a social component to your passions, hobbies, and interests.
For example, instead of reading a book at home, go to a trendy coffee shop.
Join a fitness class instead of working out by yourself.
If you want to meet other creative individuals, sign up for writing or photography classes.
Do you see how that works?
Remember, mutual interest is the foundation of every great relationship.
My advice to you is to focus on meeting people whose values align with yours.
That way, you’ll be able to make quality friends in a way that suits your personality more.
9. Act As If You’re Confident
Your mind and body and interconnected.
When you change one the other follows.
To prove my point, let me ask you a question.
What do you think would happen to a sad person if he jumps up and down while pumping his fists in the air?
He’d probably feel better, right?
Now imagine doing the opposite.
How do you think a happy person would feel if you ask him to slump his shoulders and put a frown on his face?
I guarantee you he’d be depressed in minutes.
That being said, when you adopt the body language of someone who’s confident, you’ll change the way you feel almost instantly.
To help you get started, I recommend you stand up straight, pull your shoulders back and keep your chin up.
Make sure you smile, keep your arms to your side and maintain proper eye contact with others.
When you look more confident, others will treat you as if you are.
People will assume positive things about you and your interactions will go much smoother.
10. Make An Effort To Go Out More
Building your social confidence is like a muscle.
The more you use it the stronger it gets.
The opposite is also true.
If you don’t make time to interact with others, it’s easy to fall back into your loner habits.
If you want to figure out how to stop being introverted, put in the effort to go out more.
Check out this interview that I did with Paul Sanders, Friendship and Social Skills Expert, where he talks about how to get the friends you want.
As intimidating as it could be, accept valid invitations from others.
Keep an open mind and avoid isolating yourself for too long.
Even if you could only stay for an hour at an event, that’s totally okay.
It’s better to have a few great interactions than many shallow ones anyway.
Remember, developing any skill set takes time.
In order for you to succeed socially, make sure you go at a sustainable pace.
Put in the effort to go out but make sure you still get the alone time that you need to recharge.
That way, you prevent yourself from feeling drained and burnt out.
Conclusion
If you’re wondering how to stop being introverted, I just shared with you my best tips.
Feel free to go through them again and implement them as much as you can.
And now, let’s turn it to you.
Which one of these tips are you going to implement first?
Are you going to find extroverted friends on work on appreciating yourself more?
Send me a message on Instagram and let me know.