I had a ball python when I was a teenager and through most of college who was really calm and seemed to like being out and about. I'd take him out for hours and he'd hang around my neck or explore the room while I did my homework or whatever. If he was done exploring he'd curl up around my neck and go to sleep (or whatever snakes do when they aren't doing anything else). In the summers or on weekends, he'd sometimes be out for the entire day or most of it. But even still, I would leave him alone and let him digest after a meal before taking him out again.

Now I have a baby who's been here for less than two months, and he's pretty shy. So I take him out less, and am very careful to keep the experience as low-stress as possible. I turn up the heat first, and try to hold him so he doesn't feel too exposed and out in the open. If he just wants to hide in my shirt pocket or something, I let him; and if he makes himself comfortable somewhere, I let him stay there for awhile. I doubt he'll ever be as confident as my old guy (who wasn't really even timid as a baby), but I hope he'll get a little less terrified eventually.