Yesterday was mental health day and I shared my struggle with social anxiety while living with a chronic illness.

I live with a chronic illness called sickle cell disorder and many complications come with having this disorder. It is very common among people living with this sickle cell disorder to be younger or smaller than their peers. In some cases, really skinny.

And in my own case, I grew up as the smallest in my class while secondary school, was bullied (story for another day).

All my life until this point, I have struggled with social anxiety. Many people have seen me as shy or too quiet or gentle when I know that I'm just finding it difficult to interact with people especially when it's a stranger or a strange environment.

In my second year in University when I thought I was getting out of social anxiety, at least I had few friends and talked to them whenever I wanted. Then things became worse when avascular necrosis affected my left hip, people saw me move from walking normal to using a walking stick and limping.
It was tough for me to go out, it was even tough to say a word in public to avoid drawing attention to my 'not straight' posture or to my leg which had no answer to their common question 'what happened to your leg?'

So, it was like my health had drawn people’s attention to my appearance. So, I was forced to become quiet and gentle in the public and social situations.

It was tough for me to talk even when I knew I love talking. Many people saw me as shy and introvert when I know that I am just finding it difficult interact with people in public and social situations.

I have some tips on dealing with social anxiety whether you live any illness or not. Link below

https://yomisblog.com/social-anxiety-and-chronic-illness/

Nice one. Check this guys out! You might be interested in their cause. https://www.nairaland.com/5464683/people-heal-thyselves-nigerias-new

Also the Sickle Cell Aid Foundation. They are currently recruiting for volunteers to join their cause.