Dear social anxiety,
You've never seem to completely go away from life no matter how hard I try to get rid of you. You're always around when I'm trying to talk to people I don't know, discouraging me from even going up to ask them a simple question. I don't know why I can't shake the anxiety I feel when having to talk to someone over the phone, especially someone I don't know very well. Can't you leave me alone? I know this person is friendly and won't bother me, but I still have this horrible feeling that something will go wrong or I'll say something stupid.
Why do you make me emotional when I go into a new social situation and am afraid of meeting others. I am a people-person with the people I know, but when it comes to people I don't, I can easily freak out because of you. Please let me relax this once. I'm trying and working on getting rid of you for good, but you're always there.
You make me afraid of small talk and give me the impression that people are silently judging me. You give me the impression that someone doesn't like me or won't want to talk to me. You have discouraged me from new opportunities, but I can't blame that all on you.
You have, however, given me a chance to bond with my friends who also deal with you. We're all intertwined with you, and it's something we vent to each other about often. You're everywhere in everyone in some way, some more than others. We are more powerful than you though, don't be fooled. Every single one of us that has to deal with yo,u are more powerful than you will ever be. So even though you try to trip us in our travels or try to keep us locked away inside one day, we will overcome you, just watch.
There are many words that could be said of you, but the people who deal with it can be defined in one: strong. Dealing with you is not easy, but we still live everyday one step at a time. You're difficult to live with, but not impossible. Social anxiety, you make up a little part of me, but I won't let you overwhelm me. I will overcome you, and even if you're always with me, you will never beat me. I am more than my social anxiety.
