Having a crush on a girl is one of the best feelings in the world, as it gives you hope that, just maybe, your chase will end with victory, snagging the girl that you just can’t stop looking at. Thing is, actually breaking the ice and talking to a crush can be hard, with many guys getting in their own heads on what to say and how to act.

Since we all seem to over-think everything, we’re here to tell you how to slow yourself down and overcome and shyness that might be holding you back from talking to that crush of yours. It may require you breaking from your normal routine, but, hey, if it leads to turning that crush into a girlfriend, then you’re doing well for yourself.

Instead of just having a crush on a girl, why not take the next step and see how you can make her all yours, eliminating the search and the hope or the anxiety that you might not be good enough. It’s time to just go for it, man, so here’s how to overcome that initial fear.

I like having a crush, but I always find I miss out on actually dating her

It may feel like you just can’t get the attention of your crush, but, believe us, even if it seems like she doesn’t know you exist, as long as you put some feelers out there, she does. It’s just up to you to actually make a move and introduce yourself to get her attention.

To overcome the problem of always missing out on dating a crush — whatever that reason might be — you’ve got to leave a good first impression. If it’s a girl you know through friends, make sure you drop hints that you’re interested, asking her for her number and, eventually, taking her out. If it’s a coworker, same thing as above, but make sure it’s during a time other colleagues aren’t around, or things might be a little weird.

Having a crush is a great feeling and all, but don’t wait on the sidelines while she finds someone else anymore, guys, go snag her for yourself.

What if I’m having a crush on a girl on Instagram, any tips on how to talk to her?

Ah, yes, the popular Instagram crush. We all have them, but we never know what we can do to actually break the ice to meet them. Well, there are a few tips that can help you overcome that shyness and show a girl that you’re interested, but it requires some rules.

First off, subtly make her know you even exist. Like a few of her current pictures — don’t go digging through past ones — and, if compelled to, go ahead and make a comment on one of her recent posts. If she’s human (hint: she is), she’ll probably be curious to see who the person is that commented.

Second, now that she knows your name, don’t be in a rush to go all in. Sure, having a crush on someone will make you think you’ve got to meet her, like, yesterday, but you’ve got to make sure you don’t come across as eager, pushy or desperate. That means continuing to like pics every so often, and trying to put yourself in position to meet her in real life based off of where she generally hangs out. But don’t be stalkerish about it, just hope that your paths cross at some point.

Lastly, you’re definitely going to want to slide into her DMs. We’ve all done it before, and, sometimes, we’ll even get a reply. From complimenting her in a story to just introducing yourself in DM as you would on an online dating app, remember to be genuine and take the leap of faith. You’ve got one shot at this, so make it count and see what happens.

Is there a best approach for talking to a crush?

Slow down and be yourself. There isn’t really anything that you should do differently when talking to a crush as you would with anyone else, so remember that. If you’re in your own mind — which, of course you are — step back and take a deep breath, and just remember that you’re already putting expectations on someone you don’t even know yet.

Focus on acting natural, which will come across as genuine. Having a crush can cause you to try and be too cool, or too talkative, or too, well, not you. Instead of worrying about how you look to her, being true to yourself will leave you without regrets when you talk to her. She either likes you for you, or she doesn’t — but you’ll never know until you make your move, stud.

What If I have my crush’s phone number, do I call, text or wait for her to make the move?

We hope you know not to wait, because that’s just showing her that you’re not as interested as you might first appear. Even if you make it well-known that you want to take her on a date and that you’ve got a crush on her, unless you turn those words into action, she won’t know.

If you’re lucky enough to have snagged your crush’s digits, don’t play games, man, text her to start the dialogue, then, if it feels right, go ahead and give her a call. These days, calls are generally reserved for after first dates, but, hey, it all depends on who your crush is. If it’s someone you’ve known for awhile, you’ve probably chatted on the phone before, so feel it out after you’ve shown initial interest.

Having a crush always makes me shy and unconfident, why is that?

Chances are high that you’re putting this crush of yours on a pedestal, and that’s psyching you out when it comes to actually making moves. Instead of approaching it with a clear mind, you’ve already made up some sort of narrative that’s preventing your from coming across as genuine.

Remember, all that crap you see in movies or on TV shows about being suave is complete BS, because, rarely does that happen in real life. That’s not to say that you don’t need to be confident and, in some cases, creative, though, so be sure to remember that.

You need to push through your shyness when having a crush, breaking away from your comfort zone a bit and showing them that, deep down, you’re exactly the guy she’s looking for — she just hasn’t seen the real you yet. So go ahead and show her.