32 Shy People Who Stepped Out Of Their Comfort Zone To Share The Worst Moments Of Their Lives

When the conversation turns to be about shyness, quite often people mistake it for introversion. Yes, being shy and being an introvert isn’t the same thing – mind-blowing, isn’t it? In fact, both concepts are so different that using them interchangeably is wrong. 

Introversion is a personality trait a person is born with, which doesn’t change going through life. The opposite of it, as you probably know, is extroversion and sometimes people mention the middle ground – ambiversion. 

The main difference between introversion and extroversion is the energy source. The former charge their batteries by being alone with their thoughts, while the latter get it from social interactions. Scientists think that the difference comes from introverts being born more sensitive to external stimuli, so being social wears them out easier than others. 

Granted, introversion, extroversion, and ambiversion all exist on a scale. That means that one introvert might be drained by social situations even faster than the other and all things like that. Most people have elements of both sides of a scale, just one of them usually dominates, and being strictly on one side isn’t really realistic. 

Then, there’s shyness. It’s described as a sense of awkwardness that some people have in social situations, whether they approach someone or are being approached themselves. Research shows that shyness is a response to fear, which is influenced by parenting and life experiences. So, unlike introversion, and shyness isn’t something people are born with, but rather something they’re conditioned into. 

The common thing among introverts and shy people is that they tend to avoid or limit social interactions, especially rather needless ones. The thing is that the cause for this avoidance is the root of their difference. Shy folks do it out of fear, while introverts out of a natural urge to be alone. So, you see it’s not the same thing, as many people think. 

There’s nothing wrong with being either introverted or shy; both are completely valid things. Still, it can come with quite some challenges. 

To understand better what kind of bad experiences shy people go through, take a peek at today’s list. It was curated from stories people shared on the Reddit thread under the question “Hey shy people what is your worst experience?”.

Over 12K wrote about their experiences, so we decided to make a list out of the most interesting answers with the intention of shining a light on shy people’s struggles. After all, learning about the internal fights of others can lead to increasing empathy, as you realize that while a person might seem put together on the outside, the storm of fear might be raging inside; you never know. 

Do you yourself struggle with shyness? Share your experiences with us and maybe you’ll find other common-minded people to relate to.