Quick Tip: Get Enough Sleep.
There are several simple things you can do each day to help deal with and overcome shyness. These things alone won’t help overcome shyness rather they make it easier to deal with shyness and that ultimately will help you work towards overcoming it. One of these simple things you can do is get enough sleep.
Why sleep helps.
Getting enough sleep means you will have enough energy to deal with your day, and little (and bigger) problems are just easier to cope with. Enough sleep really can make a big difference because it is harder to cope with things when we are tried. Most people are already aware of this from their own experiences – When I’m tired things just seem harder. If you have are dealing with people and shyness it can feel too much when you are tired. Fully rested and you are more able to cope.
Recently I have been what I would describe as crazy-busy. It is slowing now but I still find it hard to get enough sleep since I am often tempted to try and just do one more thing before bed. The problem is once I’m tired I find everything much harder to do and cope with. Simply stopping and going to bed a little earlier means I can function much more effectively the next day – which of course means I actually get more down. But for some reason I still like to try and convince myself to do that extra thing before bed, or watch a DVD! Sometimes a little reminder about how enough sleep can help you deal with things a little easier is the motivation I need to get to bed.
How much sleep?
Time magazine recently published an article claiming that anywhere between 6.5 - 7.5 hours of sleep each night is optimal. This, of course, is a rough guide as each person and each day is slightly different and accordingly our sleep needs vary.
June 12th, 2008 at 8:30 am
I can’t function if I haven’t had enough sleep - and I have insomniac tendencies
It is very easy to forget to look after yourself, so I should pay heed to this!
June 13th, 2008 at 6:26 am
Well, surprise! I’ve come to the conclusion, through experience, that when I’m awfully tired due to lack of sleep, I’m able to deal better with social situations. Of course there’s a minimun to approach unless you want to be zombie, like 5-6 hours. Although, physically, I need at least 9 hours to feel rested.
I wonder if it has something to do with some part of the brain which deals with (perceived) danger. Maybe it doesn’t function properly, sending signals or chemicals, if you are in that state. Or take Maslow needs: if I’m in need of sleep, my body is not going to care about secondary things. Any ideas?
June 15th, 2008 at 10:22 am
It happens to me too. When I’m tired due to lack of sleep, other things, like social situations, don’t really matter. Nevertheless, despite the fact that we have the same start point, my conclusion is different. If I didn’t sleep enough, I stay there, among many people, and I don’t take part of the conversation. I simply don’t interact, because I think: “oh, I don’t care what you think about me, all I want is my bed”. Then, it’s surely a way of not feeling so shy, but the results in social situations tend to be even worse. Besides, I don’t have energy to join social situations if I haven’t slept enough. I won’t go to the club, I won’t go to friends’ houses and so it goes, because, just like I said, “I don’t care, all I want is my bed”. No doubt: getting enough sleep is essential.