About The Curly Haired Introvert

An Interview on Social Anxiety

Hi, my gorgeous flowers! This is an article I wrote back in high school for journalism. Its subject is someone who is very dear to my heart and who suffers from social anxiety disorder. I've fixed some grammatical errors and revamped some of the wording to help it flow better. It's still virtually the same, just not as clunky to read. I definitely do not remember the grade I got, lol. I would also like to stress that I really do love the person I wrote this about. She means more to me than any distance created between us.

Social Anxiety by curlyhairedintrovert

For some, every day is challenge anew. Another step into a never-ending hardship. It may seem like nothing to the average person, but over 15 million people suffer from Social Anxiety Disorder. A disorder classified as the fear of being seen and judged by those in a social or performance setting.

However, not everyone with Social Anxiety dwells within such unease. An excellent model of this would be Freshman English teacher, Ms. Elizondo.

Elizondo is a brave soul. Continuously accomplishing the unimaginable. Teaching classes of over twenty students daily. Standing before some of society's most wayward members. Teenagers.

Yet it's more than a fear of judgment. It's a form of self-neglect. A constant fight between believing and not believing in your own capabilities. Targeting your own weakness and amplifying their importance.

"I tend to point out what I'm not doing well versus what I am doing well," Elizondo explained.

Elizondo goes on to tell of the many ways she continues to downgrade herself. Pointing out flaws about her teachings during meetings. Magnifying the simple things that often go unnoticed by everyone but herself.

Elizondo's problem doesn't go undetected. She is constantly aware of her over-analytical thoughts and feelings. It's something she has yet to calm.

"I'm learning to sort of turn that voice off," she said pointedly.

Because it's that little voice within all of us that creates these unrealistic realities. It distorts the minds correct way of understanding the world. Leaving one caught in a tale of inaccuracy. It creates fear, and that is what leaves people such as Elizondo lost.

"I let my fear get in the way, and that's something I'm working on. Trying to overcome that unnecessary fear."

That unnecessary fear. It's what controls the heart and contorts the process of reasoning. Flooding the body with sudden terror, helplessness, and uncontrollable anxiety.

"I find myself when I'm caught in the moment I let it spin out of control," Elizondo explained. With this is a downward spiral into one's inner negative self. A place where every fault is expanded into a repetitive display.

Elizondo hasn't come to absolute terms with her condition. She lives her life just like anybody else, but with some days easier than others. "I feel like I'm still in the middle of the storm," she had admitted.

Despite her confession though, it's clear that Elizondo has no plan for her anxiety to forever stop her from doing the things she loves.

"I think that with enough time and enough patience, I can get there, and I think that's what's so important."

Elizondo remains optimistic about her fate. She knows that there is a distressing road ahead, but that doesn't keep her from seeing the bigger picture. She has seen what her anxiety has done to her, and she sees what it will do in her future to come.

"The reality is that it's something that you have to learn to just cope with," she informed.

It's with this statement we know Elizondo has faced a number of challenges. Enough to where this anxiety isn't just something she could push aside. It is forever something she has to deal with.

Still, Elizondo has come a long way. She has lived through the stakes and believes wholeheartedly in herself. Faith and friendship have given her feelings of hope and acceptance.

"I'm relieved to know I'm not going to let it tear me down."

Throughout Elizondo's experiences, she has learned a lot more than just putting up with stress. She has also found insight within her own self. It's taken time, but in these lessons, she has been able to find something truer. A real way of knowing herself and not solely her Social Anxiety.

"I'm grateful that I've had the time to really learn about myself and to know you have to find inner strength first and foremost. That everything else is just extra, but when you know you can stand on your own two feet and you've overcome various obstacles you, you can do anything."