Woke up feeling good. I had a bit of energy and eagerness to go out and do something in the world. Even began dancing in my room. I later decided to go out for a jog. Noticed that unlike yesterday I didn’t give a damn what people thought. I felt a bit free and confident. Like if someone said something sassy towards me id be able to retort back. After jogging I did my workout as usual.
Later in the evening I decided to go out to play football. I’ve been wanting to go for a while but haven’t because of fear. I was afraid of having to interact with strangers.
My social anxiety went through the roof after high school. Even though I was always shy and reserved I did make a lot of friends in high school. In college I was a ghost. I was there for 4 years and made zero friends. I guess being in college with such a large number of students, more onus is on you to interact with people, which I avoided. Missing lectures certainly didn’t help either.
Unfortunately when I got to the football yard it was empty. So then I decided to go to a college nearby. I got to the football pitch and saw a group of people in a circle passing the ball. I wanted to approach them and ask why they weren’t playing team vs team and whether I could join their little game. But I decided not to because I was afraid.
Next I went to the basketball court. They were 3 people in the court practicing their shooting and dribbling. I wanted to ask one of them for the ball to have 3 shots, but I decided not to because I was afraid. There were a group of boys next to the court practicing American football. So I just stood there and watched them for like an hour.
Eventually a group of people came in the basketball court and they started playing 2v2. I wanted to ask if I could join but seeing as they were already 2v2 I didn’t bother. I saw a free basketball by the side of the court and starting thinking if I should take it and play on my own. I spent minutes contemplating until I finally decided to take the ball. I dribbled up and down the court a couple of times and attempted a couple of three pointers. Then one of the players in the 2v2 dropped out due to fatigue and I volunteered to fill in. Unfortunately another player dropped out so we couldn’t play a 2v2 anymore.
I then took a shot with the ball I was with. One of the other guys took it on the rebound. He started dribbling with the ball a bit and taking shots. I kind of expected him to pass it back to me but he didn’t. And for some reason I was afraid to ask him to share the ball with me. Like if I’d just asked he most likely would’ve given it to me. He then began competing in free throws with his friend, while I watched on. I still wanted to ask for the ball, but I didn’t. I guess I was afraid that I would seem a bit confrontational. So I just stood there, watching, thinking, until the sun went down. Then I packed my bags and left. I’m not going to lie this stung me a bit. It was a reminder of how low my self esteem is and how much of a pushover I am.