I’ve seen and read a lot of interviews where people talk about when they first developed social anxiety. For some, it was high school. Others, once they reached puberty. Or when they left home for college. But me? I don’t get that. Social anxiety isn’t something I developed. I’ve been debilitatingly shy for my entire life, or at least as long as I can remember. Continue reading
Future Fake News – February 1, 2065
ORLANDO BEACH, FL — The New England Patriots defeated the Dallas Cowboys last night, by the score of 31-28 to win Super Bowl XCIX. It was a back and forth game that came down to the wire, but the Patriots were able to hold on for the victory in the end. Continue reading
There’s a Catch-22 with social anxiety disorder that makes it different from other medical conditions, in that the medical condition itself prevents you from getting treatment for said medical condition. How are you supposed to call a physician to make an appointment when you’re too afraid to talk on the telephone, let alone in person? If I was able to call you, then I wouldn’t need to call you in the first place. Continue reading
As I think back on my shyness and social anxiety, I seem to have gone through a series of different phases. I don’t know if other people with social anxiety have had similar experiences, but these are the seven stages that I’ve gone through in my life. Continue reading
When I decided to start writing about my social anxiety, my first instinct was to write under a pen name. Something impersonal like “Shy Writer” that couldn’t be traced back to myself. Continue reading
Why am I coming out now and writing about my social anxiety? Why am I posting videos of myself where it is visibly and audibly obvious that I am still struggling with social anxiety? Why not wait until I am cured and completely free of social anxiety to talk and write about how I beat it? Continue reading
I guess I should describe what social anxiety disorder is since not everybody is familiar with the term. I didn’t even know there was such a thing as social anxiety disorder until I was in college, despite the fact that I’d been suffering from the condition for my entire life. Continue reading
One of the most common pieces of writing advice is to write what you know. That idea can be misconstrued if taken too literally, (you don’t have to be an astronaut to write about space) but it’s generally good advice. However, sometimes simply writing what you know is not enough to stand out in today’s world of mass media with millions of books and blogs and Youtube videos. Continue reading
I didn’t have a full idea of what my blog would be about when I launched it, other than it would be about me— that’s why the domain is my name. I figured mostly I’d be writing about my writing. (meta, I know) My first post was a short story that I wrote a couple of years ago. I’ve written about my health, my writing influences, and random topics like television, and sports. The subjects have varied, but the common theme is me. My only real goal with the blog was to be open and honest, in the hope that it could help somebody else. Continue reading
I started playing fantasy sports about six years ago, and I was instantly hooked. I’ve played in at least one fantasy baseball, basketball, and football league every year since then. Fantasy sports renewed and deepened my interest in each sport to the extent that I now know the names and stats of just about every player in each league. Over the years, I’ve started to care less about my actual favorite sports teams and their inept owners and general managers, and I’ve started to care more about my fantasy sports teams, where I have full control over the players I pick and cheer for. Continue reading
T.Z. Barry 