I’ve come to appreciate just how frustrating it can feel when you’ve yet to gain that “one point of armor.” In my quest to overcome my social anxiety there were times when I felt like I simply wasn’t making progress. I was confronted with this horrible Catch 22 where the sort of situations that would build up my self confidence were exactly the kind of social situations I was too terrified to pursue. This lead me to wondering, more than once, “Do I even understand what confidence is?” or “Is confidence really for me?”

Reading that you’ve struggled with this sort of stuff yourself is as reassuring as it is surprising. (I’d always imagined you as a sort of confidence guru.) It sucks that there’s no easy fix, but it’s a relief to know other people have gone through similar trials and come out fine.

Now I really want to play that.