to talk, but sometimes you do not try hard enough to keep that original wish erased. When I ask you what images or people come to mind when you think of rocks in your life you need to cut through in order to speak, I know you think of the people you have had challenges speaking to because of their talkative, fast-paced nature or the first job you had at a call center which caused you to have a tearful panic attack from every government class junior year of high school. Those are correct, but they are not the core of the rocks. So, what is the core? Struggling to find the answer? Let me give you a hint, Look in the mirror. The hardest part about learning to talk and achieve that wish is cutting past the outer rock you built around yourself. Sure, it was hard to talk, but at some point, you accepted that. You told yourself there was no need to talk. Why talk if no one listens, you asked. So, you made yourself an outer shell. Tough and cold but safe. You told yourself it was better to be distant, better to be as emotionless as possible, better to barely talk. You had friends, but did they share or care about you or things you liked? Did they even know you? Try breaking that shell even if it means you stumble and stutter along the way. If you just tell
yourself that as a machine needs oil, you need to Breathe. *“Social Anxiety Disorder.” Social Anxiety Disorder | Anxiety and Depression Association of America, ADAA, https://adaa.org/understanding-anxiety/socialanxiety-disorder.
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