I recently turned 28 and i thought by now I’d have a full grasp of who I am as a person. I also thought a lot of my anxiety-related tenancies would be gone by now and that I’d be an assertive, confident woman. Unfortunately, that’s far from the case. The same anxiety (both general and social) related worries that used to plague me when I was in my teens/early 20s feel like they’ve hardly improved, instead they’ve just evolved along with my environment. 

I feel like there’s a super thick wall I have to break through to be comfortable enough show my true self to even my family/close friends. I’m oftentimes too shy to be goofy/playful, too shy to sing along to songs in front of others while sober (even though I LOVE to sing when I’m home alone), and never break past that surface level with outside people because I genuinely don’t know how. 

Basically, hardly anyone’s seen the free side of me that I am when I’m alone and don’t feel judged by anyone. Instead, I’m a tough-faced shell of my “alone” self all thanks to my anxiety. 

Anyone else feel/have felt this way? What’s helped you overcome it if you have?