Your personal experiences of feeling socially anxious, shy and not good enough and how this has affected your lives. Sharing your stories about how you have been stretching your comfort zones and growing confidence to move through anxious feelings to live a life aligned with who you really are.
I remember, in the first few weeks of secondary school sitting on the stairs crying at the idea that I had to keep doing this secondary school thing for the next 7 years. I said something like “secondary school is school with all the fun zapped out of it”. It was all grades, grades, grades…
From a young age, I was defined in the eyes of many by one word –Quiet. I remember being around 7 or 8 years old and doing an exercise where we were given photos of ourselves stuck in the middle of a blank page and other students had to write characteristics that describe us around…
At the first Million Mile May clean on Perranporth Beach, Quiet Connections Community Coordinator Michele caught up with Surfers Against Sewage to explore connection between environment and mental health. This interview was first published on SAS.org.uk. Hi, I’m Michele from Quiet Connections, and today, I support people who see themselves as quieter, more sensitive or…
One of our favourite things about running a programme like Socially Anxious to Quietly Confident (which runs online twice a year) is seeing our Quieteers grow and achieve things they once didn’t think possible. It’s one thing to tell you about our personal stories on the path from social anxiety to quiet confidence, but you really…
Hi! I’m Michele, Throughout my life, my friends told me that I’m a good listener. People I would have just met would say that they had said more to me in that brief time than they had ever said to anyone! This may be the reason I had always wanted to become a counsellor. But…
Starting at sixth form, my shyness seemed to becoming more debilitating and I began to feel a lot worse about it. I struggled in class and socially, not feeling able to contribute in group situations, worrying excessively about ‘scary’ things such as presentations and debates, avoiding things that I didn’t feel able to cope with,…
Amanda from Cornwall was struggling with social anxiety when she was referred to Quiet Connections via the Positive People programme for coaching during the pandemic (we’re a specialist provider on the programme so Change Coaches can refer to us). Usually, coaching occurs walking and talking in-person, embracing the blue health benefits of the stunning coastal…
As we gain more awareness and knowledge about how we think, feel and behave –and what happens for other people too- we can look back and make more sense of our experiences. I used to take things seriously and as absolute. I can see now that much of my pain came from believing everything I…
#SpeakingTheUnspoken Hello to my younger self, I know that being a teenager is hard but let me just tell you that even so soon as your early twenties you’ll be looking back with fondness and nostalgia at all the things you got up to and all the things that you managed to get through. I…
Over time, I’ve noticed a switch in my mentality. From taking a powerless perspective of things happening to me, completely wrapped up in how I felt at the time, to being able to focus on what I’ve learnt from those situations. Essentially, I’ve been moving from taking a negative and powerless view of my experiences…
One big assumption that people often make about introverts is that we hate going to parties. More often than not, as an introvert with anxiety, this assumption is correct for me. But as I have grown older, the definition of a party has changed. A few years ago, an invite to a party would conjure…
As I was driving, alone in the darkness, tears streaming down my face, despair took over and told me how easy it would be to end my pain right here, right now, high speed. The tears came the moment I reached the sanctuary of my car. This had been building up for some time but…