Dear, guys – welcome back to Letters From Liz!
How’s everyone doing thus far in February? We are officially at the halfway point of the month and I hope no matter how your month has been for you that the latter part of the month turns out good!
Boy; has this month been a ride and a good one at that!
So, there’s been a lot of work being done with my social skills now that I feel comfortable being social with new people. The true first step was when I applied to my current job as a bookseller and had to interact with dozens of customers on a daily basis, which gradually came to me making friends out of my coworkers, me being able to go out with them like a big, social butterfly, and also even making bold moves in order to develop new friendships because I want to make them it’s just–
Y’all, my social anxiety is shooketh.
It’s amazing to see myself at this stage in my life because it’s something I thought I was capable of doing. Sure, it took a lot of therapy sessions and hard decisions to be where I’m at, but it was honestly so worth it. To agree to go out with a couple of friends and to even be openly honest with people I’ve met in the course of the last six months is mind-blowing.
Each and every day, I am beating anxiety’s ass up, y’all.
And I want to be an inspiration for the people who feel like they could never get back out there and start meeting new people because their social anxiety has taken over their bodies. I was once in that position – shoot – sometimes I’m still in that position! There’s no doubt that the little negative voice in my head tells me I said or done the wrong thing in a situation and that I don’t deserve anything good in life, but it’s gotten better. I’ve gotten past the point of self-doubting my every decision and just decided that so fucking what if things go wrong? it doesn’t hurt to try things out. You honestly never know the outcome of something if you don’t try it out, and that’s what keeps me going.
That’s what keeps me going to have this want of creating new relationships: that being social and being yourself with people who vibe with you well and give you some great energy is such a great feeling. You never know the type of people you’ll meet if you don’t put yourself out there! I recently met a really cool person from campus that literally has some of the same interests as me, which never friggin’ happened in my life, and I wouldn’t have known that or got that connection with another person if I wasn’t bold enough to pursue this person as a friend.
I’m slowly learning that the only way to beat your social anxiety is to challenge it: challenge your fears, challenge that inner voice in your head that is hoping you fail, literally challenge everything that is telling you that you can’t do it. Because you can, and do it so friggin’ well.
So take that chance, you honestly have nothing to lose! The only thing you’re losing out on is a new opportunity to make some new memories and some new adventures.
Letters From Liz. 