Personal Narrative: My Struggle With Social Anxiety

From the outside looking in, people might believe I have an easy life. They may see me as someone who never struggles to achieve anything in life. Whether it is good grades or high test scores, others think they are easy for me to obtain. However, I am human just like everyone else. What they don’t know is I struggle with social anxiety. To some, shyness is just another personality trait, but for me, it can sometimes be debilitating. As an introverted person, I find it difficult to interact with other people for prolonged periods of time. This includes socializing, maintaining friendships, sharing my ideas and opinions, and speaking to large groups of people. Social anxiety often prevents me from participating in activities in which I have
Learning to establish and maintain long-term friendships has been a goal of mine. Staying connected with my friends has improved my social skills. Also, sharing my struggles has allowed me to obtain guidance and advice from others who may be in similar situations. Another way I have been able to practice social skills and help others at the same time is through mentoring younger girls. Girl Scouts has given me the opportunity to work and build relationships with younger scouts. I am able to share ideas and be involved in their lives. Through mentoring and other activities, I have been able to overcome fear of many social situations. I have also spent over five years learning the art of Tae Kwon Do. Among other things this has taught confidence, poise, strength, and to trust myself. It was a struggle; however, I was able to achieve my goal of becoming a black belt. Tutoring has also been a confidence booster. My first job was to assist a middle school student in mathematics. After beginning her lessons with me, she received her first A test grade. This increased my faith in my ability to communicate with people as I was able to properly communicate with her. To this day I still “tutor” (not for money) a few of my classmates in mathematics and it greatly benefits them. Since I am aware of my social limitations and how to overcome them, I will make every effort to be successful. My view of the future is no longer as negative and I know that I can overcome