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Avoidance
Your
roommate begs you to come along to a party. All you do is
study, she says. You tell her you'd love to meet some new
people, but you feel silly at parties.
In
fact, you feel embarrassed just about anywhere. If your
teacher asks your opinion in class, you blush and stare
at your notes. If you manage to squeeze out an answer, he
has to ask you to speak up. It's not that you don't know
the answer. You're always well prepared. But what if you
misunderstood? Everyone in the class would think you were
an idiot. They'd wonder if you belong in that class.
And
parties are much worse. You never know what to say. You
don't know how to dance. Your clothes are probably completely
out of style. You feel out of place. And you would just
die if you were left standing alone against the wall.
This
chapter covers the following topics:
- Avoidance
- How
to Cope with Shyness
This
excerpt may not be reproduced without written permission
from the publishers.
Fifty Signs of Mental Illness: A Guide to Understanding
Mental Health
Yale University Press / New Haven and London
Copyright © 2005 by James Whitney Hicks
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