Roy Tang

Someone on quora asked:

People scare me. Especially crowds. They intimidate me. How do I confront this when there’s no cause of this fear?

This is a difficult fear, and it may take a lot of practice to get over. Not all fears have reasonable causes, but that’s okay. To overcome fear you do not need to rationalize it, you only need to confront it.

Basically you need to start confronting this fear in small doses. It’s best if you have friends you can count on and that are aware of your fear and willing to help.

Practice being comfortable around small groups of people first. Try taking the bus to/from school or work, if possible. Better if you can ride the bus with a friend.

Do your shopping errands at different grocery stores, find one where you feel slightly uncomfortable with the amount of people there and do your grocery shopping there for a while. When you get used to it, look for another grocery store that might be more difficult for you.

Bring a friend when you need to navigate through a large crowd (say, at the shopping mall or such). Having a friend along will make you a bit more comfortable.

Practice small talk. Say hi to the cashier at the grocery store, or the bus driver on your way to work. You don’t need to think of anything else to say beyond “Hi, how are you doing?”. Don’t worry if you have trouble responding, just smile and try again next time.

Good luck!

Edit: You don’t always need to be outgoing and confident! It’s perfectly acceptable to sometimes want to curl up in bed all day and stay away from people :)