I don't really know if this belongs here but Ill post it here anyway because I think it's most appropriate.

How does 1 boost self confidence???
I'm 17 just about to start polytech for the first time Monday.
I just got my very first girlfriend (sorta).
This is all a turning point in my life.

I am basically the guy who just hangs around and never says a word for fear of saying the wrong thing and/or can't think of anything to say until like 2 days later and regret it. I am probably the shyest (spelling??? Don't care) person you'll ever see.

I want serious answers on boosting confidence.
Thanks in advance

This is going to sound so cliche...
Whats the worst that could happen?

Your girlfriend is not going to break up with you if you say something stupid.
Your friends wont ostracise you for saying something weird.
You're never going to know how you fit in socially until you try. Your low confidence may have been keeping you from being incredibly popular. You never know.

Yeah I know. The thing is how do I begin? What makes everyone else more confident to me? Basically I've decided I need a life but I gotta know where to start and thought the self confidence thing would be best hence the reason I ask how to boost self confidence. I find I tend to worry about the little things too much and have managed to cut back on that.

Now I just need a step in the right direction.

Oh yeah I hope this made sense I only just got up about 10 mins ago lol!

Start training for social situations.

start working out, lifting weights. You have no idea how much it will help. I used to be the shy little fat kid, but now im outgoing and have quite the muscle mass

My advise is stay shy. American culture is a very extroverted culture, don't let it change you.

Join a martial art. After practicing a while, you won't have to give a fuck what anyone thinks of you because if they think badly of you, you beat the crap outta them. Atleast that's how you'll start thinking, and you'll be shy no more.

Trust me, I also had that problem. I started becoming shy when I quit martial arts, but now that I started again it's coming back.

Find an artform you have a natural talent in and PRACTICE! This helps you prove to yourself you can do things, you can overcome obstacles, and you can do something other people can respect and find joy in.

The fact is non of this confidence building shit is going to work. The answer is benzos or alcohol.

I suck at remembering inspiration quotations when I need them, but the gist of it was:

"If you set a low price on yourself, don't expect the world to raise that price"

Basically what I'm trying to say is: Think positively about yourself. If you don't think positively about yourself and feel confident in everything you do, then people won't feel positively about you either.

Start talking more within your group. Let your voice and opinion be heard and known, but don't dominate the situation. If you say something stupid, so what? Take every mistake confidently and give the impression that you don't care you said something stupid. Alternately, you could say "Hah, that was stupid.." In a joking manner. If you joke about your own mistakes and criticise yourself, then you're showing others that your confident in your actions and are not afraid to make a mistake.

At least that's what I do, and it's worked for me. Just do everything in moderation and, as much as I imagine you won't, don't dominate a situation. When you do that, you go from shy to just being an asshole.

Hope that helps,
Zaknafein.