In my late 20s I was so anxiety-ridden I worried about carrying my food tray through the cafeteria in case I might get dizzy and pass out, even though that never happened. I thought a sudden heart attack was always right around the corner. Then I signed up for a community college acting class two nights a week. I forced myself to jump in with both feet and participate. The anxiety faded away almost immediately. I became a hardcore theatre guy - doing extra scenes, building sets for the actual production that was going on, learning how to do lighting, etc. I ended up having major parts in two plays and was part of more than 20 productions over the next 7 years.
I had friends, went to parties, threw my own parties, dated a lot, and because it turned out I was pretty decent at acting I became one of the actual cool people. Other students wanted to do scenes with me. People sought me out. Complete reversal of my teenage nerdy introvert past. I had a second adolescence and felt like I finally finished growing up and became my real self. My favorite role turned out to be stage manager, which taught me I could be responsible enough to handle having kids and being a dad. Getting together with my wife was a direct result of my theatre activity.
I’m sure theatre isn’t everybody’s cup of tea, but it worked out so well for me I HIGHLY recommend trying it out. Even if you don’t get immersed like I did, the acting exercises and learning the whole process are a very good substitute for meds or therapy (which I’ve also done, so it’s a legit comparison).
In my late 20s I was so anxiety-ridden I worried about carrying my food tray through the cafeteria in case I might get dizzy and pass out, even though that never happened. I thought a sudden heart attack was always right around the corner. Then I signed up for a community college acting class two nights a week. I forced myself to jump in with both feet and participate. The anxiety faded away almost immediately. I became a hardcore theatre guy - doing extra scenes, building sets for the actual production that was going on, learning how to do lighting, etc. I ended up having major parts in two plays and was part of more than 20 productions over the next 7 years.
I had friends, went to parties, threw my own parties, dated a lot, and because it turned out I was pretty decent at acting I became one of the actual cool people. Other students wanted to do scenes with me. People sought me out. Complete reversal of my teenage nerdy introvert past. I had a second adolescence and felt like I finally finished growing up and became my real self. My favorite role turned out to be stage manager, which taught me I could be responsible enough to handle having kids and being a dad. Getting together with my wife was a direct result of my theatre activity.
I’m sure theatre isn’t everybody’s cup of tea, but it worked out so well for me I HIGHLY recommend trying it out. Even if you don’t get immersed like I did, the acting exercises and learning the whole process are a very good substitute for meds or therapy (which I’ve also done, so it’s a legit comparison).