<p>okay i’m going to join in here, sorry buddy, i support ya, but i want to get on a soapbox</p>
<p>my social anxiety is an awkward thing to overcome. it’s difficult, and i still struggle a lot with it, but life won’t really wait for you. i’ve learned that the hard way – i have virtually zero extracurricular activities because i thought that opportunities were going to manifest themselves to me like they had in middle school. that, and some issues beyond my control (transportation issues, among some other family conflicts) made it difficult for me to do much of anything. i’m a senior now and i’m really stressing out about it.</p>
<p>anyways, my experiences aren’t important. the most important thing that i feel that i can stress is that you have to make things work for you. while if you’re more prone to talking and being open to people, it’s a lot easier for other people to get an idea of who you are, when you’re more quiet or introverted, you have to tell people, ‘hey, i’m interested in , is there anything going on that’s something like this?’ you seem like a very competent person, and it’d really be a shame if you didn’t get to do whatever you wanted because you’re quiet. if this isn’t your senior year, i’d really advise you to be more open in the following year(s). if it is, then you’ll have to be sure not to be as quiet in college as you were in high school, or at least consult people about the myriad opportunities available to you. you have to be vocal. it either comes naturally to people or it doesn’t. is that fair? no. is it true? i’d say so. how will people know how great you are at things if you don’t show them?</p>
<p>i’m dumb and i can’t find out how to quote people, but as an aside: </p>
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<p>(hey, that worked) it’s funny: most introverted people i know are complete control freaks in group projects! they have a concrete idea of what they want going into the project and are usually fairly truculent when other people suggest something.</p>
<p>On the last bit, not to make this thread about me, but I’m an extremely quiet person and it gets to the point where I almost have to shout in order to be heard.</p>
<p>Anyways, back to the topic.</p>
<p>In short: Never let your inhibitions get the better of you. I’ll use myself as an example: I’m terribly self-conscious and my anxiety has become a lot worse since the beginning of high school, but I’ve come to realize that other people will not, nor can they make things work for me. Recognizing my autonomy has been one of the most difficult things I’ve had to do in my life, and I still struggle with it. But I’m getting better at it. Practicing is really the only way to get better. Talk to people and see what’s available to you. By the way, if you don’t relate to me at all, that’s fine: just use me as an example of what not to do.</p>
<p>I’m sorry if it seems like I’m being multifaceted here, as that’s not my intention at all. I thought my original comment had a similar tone, but maybe not. I don’t really like saying “speak up”, as that’s what people tend to tell me and I usually tend to scorn them for such a remark, even though I recognize its validity. But really, you have to open up, despite any potential inhibitions or fears. That’s the only way that you can destroy your apprehensions.</p>
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