When being around people is hard
Start here
wellbeing
One small thing you could do
One honest sentence in a note to yourself: "Around people, I'm braced for ___." Whatever fills the blank — mockery, exclusion, the old school hallway — is the thing that needs tending, and naming it is the first tending. Nothing else today.
Forget the social skills for now and tend to the wound. You'll find you open up on your own, once you finally feel safe.
Or change what feels heavy:
Pick as many as fit.
No cookies, no account, nothing saved — what you pick lives in this page and goes when you leave.
A nonprofit network of therapists who see you for a low set fee when you cannot afford regular therapy prices or do not have good coverage.
One free call connects you to local help with rent, food, bills, utilities, and more.
A government tool to find health centers near you that give medical, dental, and mental health care on a sliding scale based on what you can pay.
63 small steps in this library sit under this feeling. Browse them all →