{"id":672,"date":"2025-02-19T00:10:00","date_gmt":"2025-02-19T00:10:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jummydefila.com\/?p=672"},"modified":"2025-11-15T21:13:13","modified_gmt":"2025-11-15T21:13:13","slug":"social-anxiety-almost-stopped-me","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jummydefila.com\/?p=672","title":{"rendered":"Social Anxiety Almost Stopped Me"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I almost didn\u2019t make it.
This past weekend, I had two exciting events lined up. The first was an intimate Galentine\u2019s dinner for creators in Lagos. a beautiful evening filled with good food, great conversations, and the kind of connection that feels effortless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Adejumoke at Boca Restaurant Lagos for the
Dr Teals Soak it in event<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The second? An invite from one of my favorite body care brands, Dr Teal\u2019s<\/strong>.<\/em> If you follow me on Instagram, you probably saw glimpses of my story updates, snippets from the event, what I wore but what you didn\u2019t see was the internal battle leading up to these events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because as much as I wanted to go, social anxiety had other plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The invites were there. The outfits were picked. But my mind? Oh, it was loud.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Louder than the excitement of finally connecting with my favourite body care brand. Louder than the thought of good food and laughter. Louder than the part of me that wanted to go.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, it whispered doubt.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat if it\u2019s awkward?\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat if you don\u2019t know what to say?\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMaybe just cancel and say you\u2019re \u2018feeling under the weather.\u2019\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sound familiar? Because my mind was LOUD<\/strong> with these thoughts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And for a moment, I almost listened. Because staying home is easy. It\u2019s safe. It\u2019s predictable. But deep down, I knew that if I let the fear win, I\u2019d regret it after two hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For anyone who struggles with social anxiety, you know exactly what this feels like. The mental tug-of-war between wanting to go and wanting to retreat is exhausting. It\u2019s like your mind is staging an intervention, trying to protect you from discomfort even if that discomfort is just imagined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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So, I reminded myself: I am not my anxious thoughts. They are just noise. They are not facts. They do not define me. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

I refused to let the overthinking, the doubt, and the urge to stay in my comfort zone win. So, I took a deep breath, silenced the mental noise, and showed up. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And you know what? It was worth every minute and every Uber fare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I laughed. I connected. I ate well. I even left with a cute little gift bag (which always makes an event better). But most importantly, I proved to myself again that I am more than my fears.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A post shared by JD | Creative Strategist & Mental Wellness (@jummydefilaa)<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>\n