Practicing loving-kindness meditation and trying to find an interest in the lives of others. When you feel a genuine interest in learning about the lives of the people you meet and are not worrying about your own self-image, people are less scary and easier to talk to.

I used to be afraid of people thinking less of me for asking stupid questions, but now I don’t care so much about what they think about me. I come from a mindset of compassion rather than fear. It turns out that people generally prefer dumb but interested over insecurity.