My Triumph over Social Anxiety

These 3 habits were essential

Nicole Linke
The Startup

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Photo by Pineapple Supply Co. on Unsplash

I was already half-way through my recovery when I learned about social anxiety.

Until my late 20s, I didn’t know what social anxiety was, let alone that I was suffering from it.

Yes, I always knew that I didn’t have a “normal” social life. Without friends. With being constantly bullied. But I never thought I needed to go to therapy or could experience peaceful relationships.

It’s just how my life has always been.

Kicked around in school and psychologically abused at home, I believed that I was that dumb, ugly idiot my classmates and mum told me I was.

I was not scared of people. I was terrified. And it showed.

I was that girl who blushed when you asked her a question. Racing heart and sweaty palms, she looked down, avoiding your gaze. She was terrified to say something wrong.

I was that girl who couldn’t recite poems in front of the class. Too paralyzed to speak.

That girl who left the dinner table hungry. Too afraid to ask for a second helping.

That girl that peed herself, because she didn’t dare to ask if she could use the bathroom.

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Nicole Linke
The Startup

I talk about developing strength in body and mind. | Ultrarunner | Ultrarunning Coach | Newsletter: https://nicolelinke.com/newsletter-sign-up/