Social Anxiety In High School

My entire senior year of high school, an eerie fog of anxiety lingered around myself because of the approaching new part of my life that I couldn’t quite anticipate as well as other events in my life. This chapter in my life that I almost dreaded because of the uncertainty, the path that was always envisioned for me, ironically, the only certain option for myself–attending college. I had my fears before I even applied to a school because I knew myself, I knew I wasn’t as independent as I let myself out to be, and I knew the chance of getting rejected by my first choice school was likely, a school where my friends were attending, where almost complete independence wouldn’t swallow me whole. As you might guess from my transfer application, the likely indeed happened. And so, the most difficult and independent

I left for school, away from home, going to a university where I knew no one. This might be exciting for some as a fresh start; however, for me, it had its miserable moments. Growing up, I developed a fear of what others thought of me because I was often criticized as being abnormal, from befriending mostly girls, to my high-pitched voice, to how feminine I was, or who I found attractive. This social anxiety ate away at me and lead to more problems developing into clinical depression; however, I was beginning to cope and my behavior was becoming less maladaptive. I hoped to prove the fearful voice in my head wrong and succeed in a new environment; however, without the right support system, I began to fall. Making friends was difficult, I felt I was trying and failing, I was alone and socially anxious. Where does a lonely boy who’s