Dear Katie:

It seems to me that indeed, like you stated, naturally you are expressive, that you are outgoing, extroverted, daring and so on.

You wrote: “This makes me question… why am I so shy? Why am I so quiet? ..For some reason I am very afraid of saying/doing the wrong things. I am afraid to be myself”-

You answered your own questions: “Why am I so shy? Why am I so quiet?”

Your answer: “I am very afraid of saying/doing the wrong things. I am afraid to be myself”.

Now, I ask myself: why is Katie afraid of saying and doing the wrong things and being herself?

My answer to my own question: because when Katie was a child she was criticized for being herself, disapproved of. She was told or shown otherwise that what she said and what she did was wrong. It hurt her feelings then, to be told or shown that she was wrong, not approved. And so, often, she is afraid to feel the same hurt.

What do you think of my answer?

anita