lol i was tired of being by myself i also was going through some deep s*** that had me mentally f***ed up for a year or two so i just looked for a job where i would be forced to be social and speak to people all the time. The first half year was hard af tho, now i can speak to strangers with no problem.

Sounds like a maturity thing in this case.

Ayt I feel ya. Exposure and trial and error

This. I feel the same way as you do but honestly I feel like the smartest people are the ones who never stand on one side and weigh everything

okay what do u suggest i do then? talk less? its boring tho i need to be social. Im at a point where if im not social i start tripping because its mad boring.

Sometimes your mouth can block your blessings. Trauma will keep you in an eternal loop. You'll be 25 and be controlled by the 5 year old you were at one point. "omg someone finally speaks to me I'm finally loved"

That's why y'all overexert yourself for others and stay longer than needed any place that'll have you

Just have meaningful convos. You can still goof off, but just not so much to the point where you start to annoy your peers

you said it yourself lol. just think a little before you speak. can come off natural if you make it a habit.

rly the fact that you even realize this is good. now you can think before you speak and slowly get better.

most of us have been there b4. keep at it bro.

I've always tried to stop saying like and umm when im speaking

Makes you sound smarter

You gotta talk with people a lot just to work on it

Same tbh

Speak less

Dont say uhhh when speaking, just dont say anything, then speak.

It comes with practice, but try to speak without stumbling over words.

And obviously think before you speak, anxiety might hold you back, that's something you need to work on.

Im the same way and i have just accepted it and let it be. Was the "quiet" one for years to look cooler or whatever but realized it wasnt helping a few months ago so now i just try to pick and choose when i speak

If im feeling confident ill talk more but on days where im a bit slower and i notice myself saying dumb s*** i just recede back into the crowd

The worst is when u say something that makes absolutely no sense and people try to be polite and tell you it does lmao

Us southern boys had to get over this feeling when we were young, country accents tend to make people say you sound dumb