I won't say I've become an extrovert, but I did overcome the social anxiety that kept me silent and terrified as a young teen. In those years, I worried constantly about other people judging me and was convinced I was boring and awful. Now, I don't care very much what people think. As for what helped, I'm afraid external validation was key. Meeting people who didn't know me in high school made me feel free, free to express my real self to people who hadn't already judged me harshly. Those new people liked the real me and told me so, and eventually I got comfortable enough to assume that most people won't hate me. And I like myself, too, which is also key.
Forcing yourself to be social is good, sometimes. Fake it 'til you make it.
Forcing yourself to be social is good, sometimes. Fake it 'til you make it.
14 years