The Book That Helped Me To Conquer Social Anxiety

<p>I walked into my English Literature class wearing a shirt stained with blood. Everyone looked at me as if I had returned from a horrific crime scene. But the truth was much more innocent: I&rsquo;d just visited the dentist and didn&rsquo;t have time to change into a new shirt.</p> <p>I thought a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/panic-attack#:~:text=A%20panic%20attack%20is%20a,related%20to%20any%20external%20threat." rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">panic attack</a>&nbsp;was about to happen and wanted to retreat into my shell like a turtle. After all, I didn&rsquo;t have many friends in high school and was scared of judgement. Like many introverts, I enjoyed being alone, reflecting on my thoughts, and pondering life&rsquo;s big questions.</p> <p>I sat down at my desk and pulled out my copy of&nbsp;<a href="https://shakespeare.mit.edu/romeo_juliet/romeo_juliet.1.0.html" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank"><em>Romeo and Juliet</em></a>. The room was quiet, I could feel my heart beating out of my chest, and my professor tapped me on the shoulder. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s your turn,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Everyone is waiting for you to begin!&rdquo;</p> <p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know if I can do this,&rdquo; I whispered to my professor.</p> <p>&ldquo;Nonsense,&rdquo; he replied. &ldquo;All you have to do is say one word at a time.&rdquo;</p> <p>I nodded and began reading the opening lines of&nbsp;<a href="https://shakespeare.mit.edu/romeo_juliet/romeo_juliet.1.0.html" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">Shakespeare&rsquo;s famous play</a>. &ldquo;Two households, both alike in dignity. In fair Verona, where we lay our scene.&rdquo;</p> <p>&ldquo;Well done,&rdquo; said my professor as he gestured me to continue.</p> <p>I kept reading the scene from&nbsp;<a href="https://shakespeare.mit.edu/romeo_juliet/romeo_juliet.1.0.html" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank"><em>Romeo and Juliet</em></a>. &ldquo;From ancient grudge break to new mutiny&hellip;&rdquo; And then there was silence. It was almost as if a ghost grabbed my throat and prevented me from speaking. Within seconds, my hands began to shake, and beads of sweat dripped from my forehead.</p> <p><a href="https://medium.com/publishous/the-book-that-helped-me-to-conquer-social-anxiety-cc75278a1b09">Read More</a></p>