shyness

[Nosy]

If aggression can be related to nutrition and food allergies, couldn't shyness? I'm at my wits end with my almost 5 year old. Lately he is more shy, won't even go to gymnastics class or anything without us at his side. We're homeschooling, but I know I couldn't pry him off us to go to preschool. I was very shy as a child, still am an introvert, but I'm wondering if there's anything I can do to help him participate in things he enjoys...anyone have any ideas about nutrition and shyness or food intolerances and shyness?

[tanyalynn]

I think my shyness as a kid was nutrition/brain chemical related, it was pretty intense. For me it changed quite abruptly when I was about 20, but it wasn't behavior/lifestyle changes I made to cause it, though I did make changes afterward *because* I wasn't so shy anymore.

eta: I don't know why it changed, in a way it felt like my first depressive episodes, they weren't triggered by bad/stressful things in my life, they seemed very physical

whoMe's got a nice little page on serotonin and various things involved with inappropriate levels....

http://www.detoxpuzzle.com/serotonin.php

Interesting thing is, the shyness was first for me, I was shy from my earliest childhood, and it was later that anxiety and depression became issues for me, so at least in me, it looks like a more sensitive indicator of things being out of balance.

[deditus]

Absolutely related. In myself, my shyness/social anxiety was helped tremendously when I added good B's, I think mainly it was the 5MTHF helping with dopamine production. Of course this has been over the last few years, as I went off foods for nursing dd - we are gluten, dairy, soy, and egg free, and take a slew of pbx, vits, minerals, CLO, and enzymes, so I don't think it was just 1 thing but a combination of everything. Really, the healing has been significant as I feel now like I am the person I always wanted to be, but couldn't because I was too scared. It has NOT been so simple with my daughter though, who is still very shy and clingy. She won't go to gymnastics class right now because one of the teacher's is on vacation and the substitute scares her. I think sensory issues play a large part and changing the biochemistry doesn't mean the pattern changes.