[X] My Assistant

Hello everyone, I'm Dario, 28 years old and I'm Italian.


There is a girl named Emma who I really like and would like to be friends with.
Unfortunately, I am very shy and have never had any luck finding friends, so much so that I have had serious episodes of depression and loneliness that I am now treating with medication.
I used to meet this girl often at the gym and we exchanged a couple of greetings and that was it, only that for a week she hasn't been seen anymore and I feel like I have lost the opportunity to talk to her forever.
So I was wondering how to "unblock" myself for when I want to talk to someone else.
Have you had similar episodes and have you managed to deal with them? If so, I would really like to know some advice.

Thanks

When you talk a lot with people about casual, banal crap, you are getting used to just chatting.
Chit chat. Exchange 1-2 sentences with a clerk on lazy day and so on. Good old pleasantries like "good morning" to neighbors can be first step if you aren't already doing that. And don't invent scenarios to act accordingly to.
Be polite, listen and that's pretty much it.

Just practice talking to people on your own terms. The first time I approached someone in a bar sitting at the table, I stood there 20 minutes preparing myself to walk over to that table. But, after that first attempt, the progress was incredibly fast. Now it feels ridiculous to think it took me 20 minutes to do it back then.

...still didn't make any FRIENDS at the bar, but I learned to at least approach anyone, anywhere.

So, I guess my advice would be, get yourself into a situation where you can freeze for 20 minutes to prepare yourself and still accomplish to approach people. And then keep practicing until you can do it without preparation. THEN you can do random sudden encounters at a gym.

I know how hard it can be to open up, especially if you’re shy. I’ve struggled with the same thing and I can tell you it does get better with time. Don’t be too hard on yourself—sometimes just a small step is enough.
Hang in there!

To start a conversation with a girl, just be friendly and genuine—say hi, mention something you noticed or have in common, and ask a simple question to keep things going. (IMG:[invalid] style_emoticons/default/cool.gif) (IMG:[invalid] style_emoticons/default/cool.gif) (IMG:[invalid] style_emoticons/default/cool.gif)