How can I open up to people more even if it scares me?

It's often best to start off small finding someone you can trust, with a small topic that you want to tell them and go from there. I know it can be scary, however maybe by starting off small it will decrease your fear and how scared you are. I hope you find a way that works for you, this is how i learnt to open up to people.

Start with online talking to people (like on this site) and talking to friends and family! As you get more comfortable, you can slowly begin talking to more and more people.

Firstly get to know more about this person by asking a lot of questions about them and genuinely being curious to know the answers. And once u find that you share similarities in your ways of thinking or even if your opinions differ, you can start by justifying your opinions. Once you see the other person opening up, it becomes 10 times more easier for you to open up as well.

I had hard times with that and what helped me was trying with a complete stranger I will never see again... (while traveling or in new places) then slowly sharing small peaces with people around me, sometimes telling them that this is something I am telling them in confidence (small things can grow over time)

Start with little things with the people you trust that show interest in you and your well-being. From there you can make yourself comfortable with that person and gradually increase the personal information you reveal to them. To practice though however, you could try opening up to a stranger on 7cups as most of the fear of rejection/embarrassment should be gone as listeners on here want to help you and are respectful of you.

As a kid, I used to be so shy, I couldn’t even look at people. What helped me was taking it step by step, finding my own unique voice and humor, and then engaging with people around me that I felt comfortable with. Getting involved with theatre/sports helped back in high school, too. As an adult, I’d imagine just easing your way into it and being around people who love you as you are- to find people like this, you might want to consider spending more time in places with likeminded people. Who are you? What do you enjoy? I’ve found many connections I’ve made, were volunteering for various organization within my state. Many other connections were made with fellow artists who also share their works, and we connected over that. There are so many ways! Feel welcome to contact me, and we can brainstorm what suits your soul best. ♡ But if there’s ONE thing to take away from this: There is nothing wrong with being intimidated by being open- what is beautiful, is that you’re ready to be open, and that’s what will begin your journey in figuring out what that means to you. (: ♡ xo

Just try taking deep breaths beforehand. Run through the scenario in your mind, but don't get scared if the actual conversation goes different than you anticipated.

The best way to get over a fear of something is to start building some positive experiences. Start with small steps and by opening up in small ways with people you already know are trustworthy (if this is possible), this will help you build some positive experiences and help to build your confidence level with doing this. Continue in the same way until you are comfortable with this level of vulnerability and then push yourself a little bit more. Eventually you'll begin to build enough positive feedback, that hopefully one or 2 setbacks, will be just that, and the positive experiences will outweigh the negative. As you build your confidence level and begin to trust others this will hopefully become an easier task for you.

Remember you are always in control of what you say. You don't need to tell exactly everything while opening up. Start by telling a bit more than usually, and add every time some more bits of you. Controlled rational way. Most often the best. Just remember to always take one step further, but not too many steps at once!

It's taking a small step at a time with a person you know is trustworthy - challenging that fear. You may want to communicate that it is difficult for you to say those things, so they can be more attentive to you and give you the space you need. Think about what you want to share beforehand. Try writing it out on paper. This can help you to take a little bit of the emotional weight out of it. It will always be a challenge to conquer your fear, but it is very rewarding because of that. So make sure to be proud of yourself for any step.