Social Anxiety

I wanted to capture just what it feels like to have Social Anxiety so others may know they are not alone. It gets better and it gets easier.

The people surround me
And I grow tense
As stiff as a tree I stand
Mixed in a sea
Of undulating voices

I should open my mouth to mingle
Will my feet to move
But they stay stuck in this spot
Like a dark, heavy root anchoring me
Far below rock and dirt

I'm blinded by a bright spotlight
I can't see
Because it's pointing at me
Or so my mind likes to trick me into believing

The raucous in my head
Quickens my heart
Beads of sweat break out on my forehead
And slicks down my back
Making my shirt cling to me
In an uncomfortable stiffened manner

Then I slowly begin to catch on
The spotlight is only a projection
Of fear
Created by my own mind

The spotlight dissipates
My feet shuffle forward
And my mouth opens like a loose hinge
Words tumble out as I say
"I am not a tree but a person with a voice.
I am a free spirited soul."

I'm set free

Author's Note

I hope this poem helps set you free.