Source http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/tinybuddha/~3/7hsR9I-svh4/
“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing; the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” ~Viktor Frankl
Life is hell… or so I thought for most of my thirty-four years.
My intense social anxiety, an over-the-top and uncontrollable fear of people and social situations, ruined much of my young life. I operated completely alone, living only inside my own head, without even realizing it.
Now, it’s rare that I’m too afraid to talk to anyone. And I face multiple difficult decisions, discussions, and even confrontations in any given week.
Just a few years ago, a client could make what I would mistakenly take as an angry comment (even just by email), or someone could look at me funny, and I’d tailspin into a three-day episode of fear, shame, and self-hatred. I’d literally lose sleep over it. Every time an emotional breeze blew, I uprooted and fell over.
But I no longer struggle like I used to. Similar situations sometimes cause mild anxiety, but often, none at all.
This transformation surprises me as much as friends who’ve known me for my entire lif…
Source http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/tinybuddha/~3/7hsR9I-svh4/
“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing; the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” ~Viktor Frankl
Life is hell… or so I thought for most of my thirty-four years.
My intense social anxiety, an over-the-top and uncontrollable fear of people and social situations, ruined much of my young life. I operated completely alone, living only inside my own head, without even realizing it.
Now, it’s rare that I’m too afraid to talk to anyone. And I face multiple difficult decisions, discussions, and even confrontations in any given week.
Just a few years ago, a client could make what I would mistakenly take as an angry comment (even just by email), or someone could look at me funny, and I’d tailspin into a three-day episode of fear, shame, and self-hatred. I’d literally lose sleep over it. Every time an emotional breeze blew, I uprooted and fell over.
But I no longer struggle like I used to. Similar situations sometimes cause mild anxiety, but often, none at all.
This transformation surprises me as much as friends who’ve known me for my entire lif…
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