Social Anxiety

Social Anxiety is an intense, persistent fear of being watched or judged by others.

I have had social anxiety all of my life. I remember as a child being absolutely terrified of meeting new people. I was always hiding behind my mothers legs.

When grade school started it became even harder. I hated the first day of school. Well, the first month or two really. Until I could get comfortable with that one friend and stick with them the rest of the year. 

If I had to present a project. I would purposely miss school. Pretend to be sick. Just hoping that when I returned the teacher would have forgotten about it. 9 times out of 10 they wouldn’t forget. It was so painful to me. 

I began developing ulcers in my early years. Lots of trouble with my stomach. 

I worried constantly. I don’t ever remember being a care free child. I believe this was my reason for having a passion for nursing. I always dreamed about helping others through things and having compassion for them. 

I still have anxiety around groups. I have found ways to push through most of them. Mostly just by forcing myself into new situations and working on my self confidence. 

Being a mother has also helped me overcome a lot of the social anxiety as well. I put a smile on and persevere. I try to be as outgoing as possible. So my daughter has a strong & confident role model.

The more confidence I gain the easier it is to talk to with people. I read a lot of Self Help books and listen to different podcasts. 

Below is one of the Self Help books I read in the beginning of my journey. 

You can also find it on the Libby App for free.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08XLLF3PG/?tag=terradhayes-20

“Dreams are the counterpoint to fear” – Steve Harvey