How do I become less timid?

Practice, practice, practice. Whatever scares you into being timid, confront it in baby steps. Do it often. Act as if you are not timid, and eventually you will become less timid. In other words, fake it ‘til you make it! Good luck. :)

Search this site for previous questions about this. There are tons.

Being timid and not feeling like answering questions that may be inappropriate are two different things.

For a question, simply say, “I don’t feel like discussing that now. Sorry. What’s going on in your life?” Or, “Oops, I gotta run, go to the bathroom, meet a friend, vacate the premises, hang up now.”

By not giving a damn what others think.If you don’t want to answer something,just say so..It helps to know that people really are more concerned with their own lives than anyone else’s…no matter what they say;)

I like what @lucillelucillelucille wrote. Also, Look at people in your life whom you admire and see how they deal with similar issues. Sometimes, learning from the social pros is a good way to go. :)

For a quick response, pretend you are thinking about it and give yourself a minute to compose yourself, and then either respond with “I don’t know, what do you think” or the Emily Post/Miss Manners all-time favorite “I don’t know…why do you ask?” Some people don’t like questions turned on them and may just drop the questioning. Because frankly, if someone is asking you a question which is personal and really none of their business, they know at some level what they are doing may be making you uncomfortable and you have a right to express that to them.

You’re doing pretty good right now, you told us what you wanted, you told us what you didn’t want and you didn’t sugarcoat it. Congratulations.