Hello! I have been trying to socialize the corn snake my roommate and I inherited earlier this year. We tried in the beginning, but neither of us had the time to take her out daily and the habit fell off. I decided to try again. I've been taking her out for 10-20 minutes for the last few days, and I've already noticed that she seems to be less confused when I take her out.
I don't know how to keep her in my hands, though. I've seen pictures and videos where the snake is comfortably held and all wrapped up between the fingers, but Citrus doesn't really do that. Whenever I pick her up, she stiffens up and makes a beeline directly away from me. So, I usually leave her body on my lap and use my hands to try and redirect her back towards myself. She seems to calm down when I let her hang out off of my lap, but I always redirect her when it looks like she's trying to move towards somewhere she can hide.
I guess my question is if she'll loosen up eventually. I want handling to be a positive experience for both of us, and as it currently is, it's uncomfortable for all parties. I'm determined to keep it up this time. Should I just trust the process? Should I trust her more while I have her out? Any advice is appreciated.