Looking through the list below you may see symptoms that you have experienced. Sometimes people are aware that they are feeling uncomfortable, but are unable to define it more than that. It may help to know which symptoms you experience to help you know what area to target as you work to overcome shyness. Worry is something that use to trouble me a lot; working to reduce worry has had a positive impact on my shyness - less worry has led to less shyness. Another example is a friend who use to talk about her heart beating so loud she could hear it, this in turn made her shyness worse as she worried that others could also hear it. So as part of her plan to overcome shyness she learnt breathing techniques which helped keeping her heart from racing, therefore, removing the worry that others could hear it and ultimately reducing her shyness. So while this list can appear daunting, that isn’t the aim.  The aim is to recognize which symptoms you experience, then taking this knowledge to help you overcome shyness.
 

Outward symptoms. 

These are visible to others and often very hard to hide.  They can be broken into two groups, behavioural and physiological. 

Behavioural symptoms
- Not speaking or saying very little.
- Stuttering.
- Very little or no eye contact.
- Standing apart from others.
- Speaking in a low voice.

Physiological symptoms
- Blushing.
- Muscle tension.
- Sweating/ sweaty hands.
- Increase in heart rate .
- Feeling sick, upset stomach or butterflies. 
- Shaking.
- Dry mouth.

Inward symptoms.  

These are the symptoms that happen on the inside and they are easier to hide than outward symptoms.  

- Self consciousness.
- Negative thoughts (why did I do that for, I am useless etc.)
- Fear of being judged by others.
- Fear of being rejected or forgotten .
- Excessive worry.
- Feeling embarrassed.
- Anxiety.
- Low self-esteem.
- Sadness/depression.

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