From Teens October 21, 2019 Issue

A healing of social anxiety

Zemma Kitchen

During my sophomore year of high school, I really struggled with self-confidence. It was hard to talk to people because I felt shy, anxious, and uncomfortable.

My dad, who is not a Christian Scientist, tried to help by encouraging me to talk to people with whom I wasn’t close or didn’t feel comfortable. While I was able to put on a façade of confidence, it didn’t solve the problem, and I ended up feeling like I wasn’t being honest about who I was.

So, socially things were hard. I felt like everyone around me was progressing, and I was just staying the same. My friends started to make new friends I didn’t know and, honestly, didn’t really care to get to know.

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