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A poem for courage in exposure

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A poem for courage in exposure

13 years ago 0 +0 / -0 659

Hugs4U

You have come here joined the support group and are posting..This is a very positive thing and you should be very proud of your self..I know this takes a lot of courage to do..You're doing great. You are making progress and moving forward..Be patient with yourself and it will all come together in time..Don't forget to reward yourself in some way for this achievement..

Red

13 years ago 0 +0 / -0 152

Thanks everyone, glad you enjoyed it also, and i like you one to hugs, makes you realise that there is a what if to everything in life

Your friend Debi

13 years ago 0 +0 / -0 6252

I was in a restaurant with some acquaintances staring into my hot chocolate. One of them said "your quiet" I said "better to be quiet and be thought stupid than to open my mouth and prove it."

They didn't get the joke and that was when I realized they did not see me as I thought they did. I was wrong, they were friends not just acquaintances, and I had not even noticed. I was too busy living in a false world of my own making. So I started to open up, talking to people and mostly they talked back and the more interesting they were the more interesting I became. Wow, all I had to do was follow the conversation and throw in my point of view every so often and I actually became some one they were interested in. What a change from a guy who used to be afraid of his own shadow. Hard to believe hey. Hard to tell from the out going guy I am now, willing to gamble I can make friends instead of hiding. I used to be so afraid of intruding. So now I stick my neck out, what's the worst that can happen, I'll over balance and fall on my face. Well that has happened and I survived. Nice having friends and that includes my internet friends. I'm honest, and I'm open and people like me just the way I am I didn't have to change. Not everybody likes me but that is normal and to be expected, but enough do. That is the main thing, enough do.

Davit.

13 years ago 0 +0 / -0 4027

Tiana,

I am beginning to explore things, and am just recovering from a special interest course that was too intense for my skill level.

With trial and error, I hope I’ll find a balance between my comfort with the social situation and mechanics, so I can feel connected but not overwhelmed by too much stimulation.

I’d like to build a support system, but GAD wrestles with me.

This forum gives me a safe place to venture out from to try and make friends, as foreign as friendship is to me.
Have a good night Tiana.

13 years ago 0 +0 / -0 653

Hey Hugs,

I`m glad you are feeling supported by us here this week. You are in a difficult situation. Many people with anxiety also crave the `normal` social interactions. It`s part of our human-ness. Are there avenues that you could exlore- groups in safe settings like a book club at a library...

You raise a good point- success with mental health issues is certainly not very celebrated! It is still widely misunderstood and stigmatized. Don`t let that prevent you from being proud of youself! Realizing your success will help start a positive trend towards more successes. How is your support system. (Ooops- I`ve hit a mystery key and now my question mark won`t work!!)

Tiana, Health Educator

13 years ago 0 +0 / -0 4027

Tiana,

Yes! I try to remember “Don’t believe what you think” with respect to my mind’s view of the world and reality. But in my isolated life, there’s so little connection with people, with GAD, that thoughts all seem to have the same value or truth, but the forum is helping greatly this week.

Being labelled not “normal” still comes with our stigma, until we’re seen just like a runner getting over a sprained ankle, or a finger healing from a paper cut. It hurts to not be accepted because I can’t believe anyone thinks I’m worthy being with on a Saturday night when it’s raining.

When it’s not a life phase, and it’s been my whole life, it amazes me that I persevere. I used to be told that I have to respect my “emotional timetable”. I joke about it to myself and just think that I’m a late bloomer, but what else can I do?

As for the journey, it’s not yet valued as recovery from physical handicaps are celebrated. I’m in a closet, literally hiding my books, worry records and appointments while mountaineers decorate their fireplaces with trophies.

It’s hard to be proud of something you have to hide, isn’t it?

Juanita,
Your artistic talent is showing so happily, that the pup is courting the painter, almost!

The Whatifs poem is what its like to be inside of this little scared boy, like if I’m homesick at camp away from mom. It’s a caricature, kind of, isn’t it, so we can laugh and get on with life?

13 years ago 0 +0 / -0 538

Hi Debi, I love your poem....great words of wisdom...

Hugs4u....What a great take on the "What if" poem...if we let them, those nasty "what ifs" could never end....

Juanita

13 years ago 0 +0 / -0 653

Hi Hugs4u,

Does that poem help you see that fear is just in your mind? And what is 'normal' really!? We are all our own version of normal. The beauty is in the chaos is a phrase that comes to my mind. Be proud of yourself for all the work you have done to be a 'better' version of you! Many folks are afraid to take that journey.

Tiana, Health Educator

13 years ago 0 +0 / -0 4027

Hopefully someone out there will say that their mind(s) also are this active.

Long as you let go of the unproductive stuff, the human imagination is limitless.

It's just scary sometimes when I write and practically no-one is online.

Gee maybe I'm not "normal". That would really justify all the personal growth I've invested in, all the blood, sweat, tears, conflict :(

13 years ago 0 +0 / -0 1665

Hi Debit: Like the poem, thanks for posting.

Hugs4u: oh boy, lots of what ifs. Good to let that one go eh?

Sunny

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A poem for courage in exposure