Ever since I was a child I had social anxiety. I was introverted and didn’t talk to anyone as I feared that I would be judged if I express my opinion. I spent most of my childhood lonely without any friends. The only person I spoke to was my grandfather. I could easily articulate my thoughts to him and could talk to him about anything and everything.
When I was in seventh standard, I suddenly lost him. Overnight I became lonely. I felt like my world had turned upside down. So, to cope with the loss, I went inside a bigger shell. This effected my self-esteem even more. I couldn’t get out of this rut. I was stuck and it was my mother who pulled me out of it. Once when driving me from school, she took me to an old age home near my house. As I started interacting with people there, I started feeling better. I then started visiting the place regularly. As I heard more and more stories from others, my perception about myself and life started changing. Slowly I gained the confidence to articulate my thoughts to others.
Over time I realised that social anxiety is a common disorder specially among school going children. I felt the need to help other children overcome their social anxiety. Now I visit the primary schools in my town to educate children and help them articulate their thoughts and emotions to other children. My goal in life is to spread awareness on social anxiety and help as much people as possible to overcome their anxiety issues.
#TAPMI #ABGLP