I don't consider myself an introvert, but my anxiety has pushed me to be more timid, more shy and more closed, before all of this I would talk to people I didn't know, ask them personal questions, flirt with strangers and be that girl out of my group that would not only attract attention, but was going to be liked by that group of people.
But then as my anxiety grew and I decided to disappear, a lot of friendships broke down, we fell apart, no one to be blamed, maybe me a little for not making that extra effort, but it was something that was going to happen anyway, we went different ways and I'm a true believer that sometimes, you've just gotta keep moving in order to grow, but that doesn't mean you have to hate each other.
I got a huge lesson out this in summer course as my old coworkers recognised me but didn't know quite how to be around me, it had been two years since the last time they had seen my face and I quite understood that it was obvious that we needed time to warm up and I needed time to show them I was there to help, not to boss around.
Months passed after that lesson when I got a call from an old friend, so old I haven't even talked about her in here yet, we fell apart a few years back when both of us were going through a rough time, at first I didn't quite understood why was she doing that, now years later I don't keep any resentment towards her, so when I received the call, I happily answered.
I never thought talking with people I used to be friends with, would be so hard and so challenging, but when asking for help for the December Project I realised that I was terrified even though it was only going to be a message, even though they could say no and nothing would happen.
The response I got was surprising, I thought they may be mad at me or upset at me, because I wasn't the best person and coming back to ask a favor is not always the ideal situation to re-encounter with old friends, but most of them were really open and happy to help, it made me feel amazing and it gave me more strength to continue with what I'm doing.
I don't think any of those conversations is going to grow, because both parts have gone through different experiences and sometimes that makes it harder to create a connection with them, but I will always thank them for answering back that message.