Dear J,

I do suffer from social anxiety still although i no longer have major depression issues. However, I am finding ways to work on the former through practice, working on self-confidence and relaxation. I think you gotta find ways to deal with the anxiety first. It is debilitating and makes things so difficult.

And regarding teaching, maybe you could try volunteer based teaching in the weekend for 2 hours or go for some one-on-one tuition instead – and then gradually increase the amount you can take. Perhaps baby steps to de-sensitize yourself first in certain situations would be good and it would help the resume too.

I remember starting my journey to cope with anxiety about 3 years ago by writing a list of level 0 to level 10 things that frighten me – level 0 being easiest and level 10 being scariest. So far, i am able to manage level 5 activities. Earlier, i would technically just start at level 7 and mess up, feel bad about messing up and reinforce the negative cycle as a result.

Physical symptoms are a huge part of anxiety. You can also try the relaxing techniques Anita mentions in her post.

Regards,
Nina