Social Anxiety as a Vermeer Rock Saw Samantha Vondrum “Social anxiety disorder, an intense anxiety or fear of being judged, negatively evaluated, or rejected in a social or performance situation, affects approximately 15 million American adults. People with social” You never know when to jump into a conversation; you think and think about it for so long that you’ve missed it. The conversation is over. Why didn’t they ask you your thoughts? Well, why would they? Even if they did, you would not have said what you were thinking; in fact, you would not say anything at all since you are so busy trying to “anxiety disorder may worry about acting or appearing visibly anxious, or being viewed as stupid, awkward, or boring. As a result,” But you do know how to cut into a conversation. Cutting in is jarring; you hate it, but it is what you learned unconsciously. It is the only way you know how to say anything. If you can get the words past the burning sensation climbing down your throat and boiling your stomach, that is. You normally cannot; it hurts too much. If
only you realized that all you need to do is “They often avoid social or performance situations, and when a situation cannot be avoided, they experience significant anxiety and distress.” * Where would you learn such a thing, you might ask? Well, what is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of something loud with big teeth that cuts into things? Naturally, you pictured that Vermeer rock saw you have seen your whole life covered in a fine layer of use and gravel dust. Huge teeth attached to a giant circular blade spinning so fast it cuts and eats into solid rock walls certainly is an impressionable way to learn how to speak. All it takes sometimes is to cut through the rocks in your path. “It is just a phase” turns into It is a family trait to be quiet; that is just how they are, which turns into All these people saying they have anxiety, you know anxiety is not a real thing, it is just something in your head, you can just get over it which is 28
