I'm afraid the answer lies in alcohol... hit the bottle.

i start drinkin! next thing i know, i have new friends to hang out with! :)

It's not really a matter of feeling comfortable, as it is "pretending". You would actually be amazed at the number of supposedly "comfortable" people who are just pretending. Once you have put up a reasonable act, it will be much easier, because you will actually make new friends.

just try to introduce yourself and be friendly at first. the important thing is to be yourself and not worry about whether or not the people like you right off the bat. Once they see you are yourself, you'll be more comfortable.

You know what, pompom chick? There is nothing wrong with being shy. And I don't mean this to sound hopeless and despairing, but you may never feel comfortable around new people. And there is nothing wrong with that! Some of the other answers here offer some really helpful-sounding strategies for social mingling but , again, there is nothing wrong in feeling uncomfortable. We're not all destined to be social stars-of-the-party. But if your goal is to become comfortable, you'll find the strength. Personally, i always treat myself with something afterward - -after a social situation i find may be a challenge, I reward myself afterward with something I like; just for me. Hell, this all sounds like crap. I meant to try to be helpful. Be Well.

I use to be a called a "shy" person.I was quiet for not so much because I was afraid they wont like me, but more that I would offend some one. Then I came to the conclusion that people are ether going to accept you or they are not. Speak your mind and be yourself. You will find that most people will accept you, if they do not then at least you know where you stand with them.

Start off by being a good listener, and showing interest in what their saying. Meeting new people is a little easier when you have something in common, and if you listen for it, you'll find something in their you can relate to.

"We’re trained as children to fear strangers (which is good for safety reasons) but most people carry this fear into adulthood where it does more harm than good. It becomes a constraint on the number of people you can meet and interact with. You get stuck in a box, only open to creating new relationships through people you already know. If you already know a lot of people, this can work all right, but it limits you to meeting people who are generally like you. If you are new to an area and don’t have many friends, the fear of talking to strangers is absolutely crippling. Fortunately, developing the skill of talking to strangers is easy. Once you get started the immense benefits and excitement it brings will encourage you to keep going. It comes down to three things: - Understanding the benefits of talking to strangers. - Knowing how to deal with the occasional rejection or unpleasant encounter. - Breaking down your fear through practice." "Now that you’re sold on the benefits of talking to strangers, the only other skill you’ll need is the ability to let rejection roll off your back. The key to this is not taking it personally." "Instead of reliving the incident in your mind and dwelling on your insecurities, imagine reasons for their behavior that don’t depend on you. In the 5% of cases where you actually caused the negative reaction, treat it as a learning experience. The problem isn’t you, it’s your behavior, so examine what you could have done better." "That hardest part of talking to strangers is getting started. Before you have experience striking up conversations it can make you nervous and awkward, but the more you do it the smoother and more likeable you’ll become. - Start Small - If you’re a naturally reserved person, you’ll probably want to warm up a bit. Start with making eye contact with people you might like to talk to, smiling at them, or saying Hi out of the blue. Think of possible conversation starters you could say. - Comment on Something - If you see something remarkable, make a comment. Even if it’s not at anyone directly, chances are people will hear and react to you. If you see someone doing or wearing something interesting, tell them what you think. Keep it positive and most likely they will be happy to chat. - Make a Joke - If a decent joke pops into your head, just come out and say it. If someone laughs, that’s the perfect conversation starter. This is great for opening dialogue with attractive people of the opposite sex." Source and further information: "The Shy Person’s Guide to Talking to Strangers" http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/the-shy-persons-guide-to-talking-to-strangers/ Further information: - "Tips For "Shaking Your Shyness"": http://www.shakeyourshyness.com/Tips.HTM - "How to be comfortable?": http://ask.metafilter.com/93358/How-to-be-comfortable - "Meeting new people?": http://www.yelp.com/topic/boston-meeting-new-people - "How To Overcome Shyness Around New Boyfriend?": http://help.com/post/170707-how-to-overcome-shyness-around-new - "How to Network: 12 Tips for Shy People": http://www.keithferrazzi.com/cms/published_articles/how_to_network.pdf - "how to start conversation and make friends": http://www.scribd.com/doc/11789480/how-to-start-conversation-and-make-friends Here some tips about talking to shy people: - "How To Talk to an Introverted Person": http://lecya.wordpress.com/2007/10/01/how-to-talk-to-an-introverted-person/ - "How to Befriend a Shy Person": http://www.ehow.com/how_2057876_befriend-shy-person.html

I almost always assume an "off-the-wall Jerry Lewis type" persona and JOLT them into feeling comfortable around ME. (Or running for safety. Whatever.)

I have to get to know them, talk to them about anything. A humorous converstion usually takes down any brick wall you may run into.