From the time I was a young child up until a year ago, I was a very self conscious person. I had constant anxiety that people were always looking at me, making fun of me, talking about me, etc. In elementary school, I could tell I was not liked by many because of my brutally honest behavior and inability to conform to what they thought a girl should be like. I only had a few reliable friends who I’m still friends with to this day. Freshman year of high school felt like a chance to redeem myself and make new friends. I succeeded in making new friends, but failed to change the way I thought about myself. I spent freshman year very paranoid, anxious, and depressed. Some days got so bad that I would make up wild excuses so I could stay home
