Hello my fellow shy comrades,

As weird as it is, I am of course writing to you through a computer screen and not in person due to my never-ending shyness. But nonetheless, I am still here to call on all my shy people.

Growing up, being shy was a struggle. It still is to this day, but as I get older I have learned at least one thing: you have to embrace your shyness.

I am not one to start a conversation and I am sure you aren't one either. I would rather just stand there in silence, pretending to be busy on my phone or even find a friend to stand next to in order to prevent strangers from talking to me. Finding friends alone, is hard enough. People think I am either a weirdo or rude if I don't say anything to them. Unfortunately, only I know that I am neither, but they would never know because I am too shy to speak up.

Not only that, but presenting makes me anxious. Being shy doesn't necessarily mean you have social anxiety, but you may still get nervous while being in front of people you have never really talked to on a personal level. And, frankly, you still don't want to get to know them because of your shyness.

Being shy often means you choose to be alone. That is fine. Some people are better off doing things on their own. From one shy person to another, I am letting you know that it is perfectly okay to decide not to talk to people. You are by no means weird, rude, stuck up or whatever other labels have been put onto people who are shy. With that, go with the flow and don't worry about whether or not you're talking to someone. Small talk is overrated anyways, it's not like you're going to remember the conversation if a few hours, so why waste your time?

Also, you don't need a million friends. I know what you're thinking, shy people don't want or need a million friends to begin with. Having one, two or three, at maximum, is enough. Personally, if I am with a group bigger than three people, I tend to shy away and not say anything at all. I let other people do the talking. By being with a small group, you will feel better about opening up about yourself and forget all about your shyness.

Lastly, I enjoy the benefits of being shy. I don't have to worry about so many things and focus on myself. I am there for my few friends and I am especially there for myself. Sometimes I have to worry about my personal things, and often times being shy lets me focus on things independently. I tend to get a lot more done that way.

Just remember that being shy is not a problem. Don't let people say otherwise. Even if people judge you, who cares. You do you.