BY ISABELLA BEELER

Imagine being in the car going to an unfamiliar social event. Legs are shaking uncontrollably.

You’re thinking about what’s going to happen. Is it going to go okay? Is something going to go wrong? What are you going to say? You are feeling really anxious. That is social anxiety. Many people experience it. Some people experience it worse than others. I have really bad social anxiety.

I get really nervous in social situations. I’m really shy and it is hard for me to talk to people. I don’t know what to say. I talk quietly. I feel awkward. I’m worried about what people think about me. It makes it hard for me to make friends. I want to talk to people and for people to talk to me, but I dread it at the same time. Sometimes people might try to talk to me, but they give up because they think I’m not interested or don’t know how to communicate with me. It’s not that I’m not interested or trying to be rude, it is just really hard for me to communicate. Just a little smile or wave would be nice. Even if I look nervous, it makes me feel happy and seen.

Social anxiety is hard at school. In class you sometimes work in groups, do presentations, or just need to ask a question. I can opt out of those things because I have a 504 plan for it, but it is still hard. When I have had to get in groups, I never know who to work with. I haven’t had a real friend at school since 5th grade. Sometimes people will offer for me to work with them and that is very nice. It makes me happy. Some classes are also group based classes. Last year, in math class, we got put into new groups almost everyday. That is really hard for people with social anxiety.

Dealing with social anxiety is difficult. If you don’t experience it, consider yourself blessed. Try to understand people who deal with it. Don’t give up on them. Don’t think they are rude for not responding. If you experience it, just know everything will be okay. It’s hard and I’m not there yet, but we need to get the courage to try to talk to people.