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RE: You Are Responsible For Your Own Anxiety // PTSD // Journal
This post is so well written. My significant other, one of my sons and my best friend all struggle with anxiety. I think that a support system is helpful. However, I do agree that is ultimately up to the individual to move out of their comfort zone. My son is only 9 and is very choosy about who he interacts with, it took me a couple years to realize that this just who he is. He doesn't make small talk with strangers, he doesnt order food at a restaurant and this is all ok. He does not have to be like me to function in society. Thanks for sharing.
A support system can be helpful - I've had issues in the past because a lot of people misunderstand or don't understand its severity, so I have isolated myself for the most part. However if I had to choose I would choose a loving and understanding family over an ignorant one. I may not have even had these problems in the first place if I wasn't punished so severely for them.
Your son sounds a lot like me - there are 5 major personality traits that scientists have found are mainly set at birth and don't change much over the course of a person's lifetime. These 5 personality traits have even been seen in animals like jellyfish and dogs, one being introversion<-->extraversion. Shyness can be overcome, and you can modify yourself somewhat, but for most people if they are born introverted they remain that way for most of their lives. Definitely not a bad thing though - introverts can get a lot of poetry written. ;)
He is super smart, which unfortunately further alienates him from his classmates. He has had a few panic attacks at school, and the school staff is unfortunately untrained or unwilling to recognize them and defuse them. I hope that he always knows that I am forever on his team.
Having a supporting mother makes a lot of difference. I'm sorry that your school is so ill-equipped to handle it - a lot of places just don't know how to adequately handle children that are different.