Silver lining

As a young teen, I was petrified of social situations. What other people thought about me mattered a lot to me, to the point that I was wary of almost everyone. I had few friends, and I would never talk to strangers unless they approached me.

Then, when I was sixteen, I was in an accident that limited my ability to walk and speak normally. I was determined to brush it off and act like it didn’t phase me. The embarrassment was of moving and speaking like a mentally handicapped person was too much for my brain to process, so I was literally “flooded” into not caring what other people thought of me. I found the confidence to speak to strangers and even to seek out new friends (I had to, as my injury caused personality changes that made me unpleasant to be around.)

Over ten years have past since that time in my life, but the lesson it taught me is still true: caring what other people think is toxic. The knowledge that, even if I have reason to be terribly embarrassed, the opinion of other people can not hurt me has greatly improved my mental health. Today, I still do my best not to approach strangers for other reasons, but the petrifying embarrassment I felt is gone. It has been replaced by confidence.