I’ve had social anxiety my whole life. It causes me to stumble over my words, do random gestures, feel dizzy, have racing thoughts, & say the wrong things. I embarrass myself often. I’m 18 & I struggle with my self esteem because of it, especially at work, where I’m a host and it’s my first time working in this industry. My coworkers are all relaxed and normal but then there’s me, Which I feel attracts certain people to dislike & judge me, which I can’t really blame them for. I’m always messing up or saying the wrong things or not saying anything my at all.
However, I know I need to look on the bright side and stop beating my self up. I have many friends who love me and think I’m funny, it’s just hard to bring that outwards. I need to train my brain to accept myself as is and try to balance my eccentricities with humor or kind energy. I’m looking into going on meds, but I know that’s not enough to improve my anxiety & social skills. Besides daily journaling, practicing mindfulness, & saying positive mantras to myself, what are some ways to accept how weird & alienated I feel compared to others?