Trinity on Navigating Anxiety

Name: Trinity
How does anxiety typically show up for you, and have you identified any specific triggers that make it worse?
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For me, anxiety really shows up most often in my speech, and as pain in my chest. I have struggled with social anxiety since I was really young. I know that I am not comfortable when I’m not able to speak without tripping up on words, or if I can’t seem to bring myself to raise the volume that I am speaking in. One of the things that I have been more mindful about recently is keeping my voice strong no matter what. To not feel intimidated by others and to recognize that what I am saying is worthy of being heard.
Is this something you’ve always struggled with, or did it begin at a specific point in your life?
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Anxiety has been a challenge for me for a while. Growing up I was bullied, which isn’t necessarily a unique experience, but for me it really affected how I carried myself for years. I am pretty tall and I would shrink myself, people would talk to me and I would try to say as little as possible. I would tell a joke and when the people around me laughed I would start to panic because I wasn’t sure if they were laughing at me or with me. It took me a really long time to regain my voice.


