Online & In Person Shyness & Social Anxiety Therapy Sittingbourne Kent UK

Hi, I’m Carrie. 
I used to be a lot like you; struggling with shyness. This early photo of me reflects how I felt throughout my childhood and early adult years – self-conscious and uncomfortable in the presence of others, even those I knew.
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I was painfully shy and it was impossible to believe I could feel anything other than awkward and anxious in the company of others. As the years passed, shyness and its partner in crime - anxiety - were my constant companions; impacting my thoughts, feelings, behaviours and physiology. 
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I envied how easily others seemed to be able to navigate life.  I longed to wake up and be free of my invisible cage.  Oh to be able to talk without tripping over my words, my cheeks burning and my neck turning bright red.  How I wished to have a conversation that I didn’t keep replaying in my head for fear I’d made an idiot of myself. How I yearned to go somewhere without shaking, my stomach doing somersaults and my heart thumping so hard I thought it would thump itself right out of my chest.
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To others I was ‘just shy’ but it was so much more than that; I was plagued by feelings of embarrassment, shame, awkwardness, isolation and anxiety.  Why couldn’t I just be like everyone else? I thought there must be something wrong with me. I was often told ‘you’ll grow out of it’ but that wasn’t the case, it was always there.
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Growing up I believed I was lesser than those who were more outgoing than me.  I thought I should be more like them.  Phrases in my school reports ‘if only she participated more’ and ‘quietest one in the class’ adding fuel to the fire.  
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After years of struggling with shyness, I had what you could call an epiphany.  I realised if I wanted things to change, it had to come from me.  I wanted to be a participant in life rather than an observer, I was fed up being stuck on the side-lines so I got to work.  There isn't an instant 'quick fix' but using a blended approach I learned how to free myself from the shackles of shyness.   Change didn’t come overnight and it wasn’t always easy but boy was it worth
the effort.
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My shyness hasn’t just disappeared. It still shows up from time to time but I’m no longer held hostage by it.  I’ve learned to push past my fears into a world I could once only dream of.  I now engage more readily people.  I join new groups.  I have completed adrenalin fuelled activities I once only dreamed of from white water rafting and zip lining through the jungle to motorcycling and sky diving.  Losing sleep over up upcoming events or ruminating on situations past is rare.  I feel at ease with who I am and I never imagined running my own private practice! 
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I’m now here to provide you with the understanding and emotional support you need and to give you the tools to overcome shyness.  I’ve been where you are so I know what works. I will help you shift the emotional blocks and the negative mindset,  quieten the critical internal chatter, and change unhelpful patterns that are keeping you stuck.  Take heart those of you out there who can relate, things changed for me and they can for you too.  Work with me and get the insight and support that will help you  overcome shyness and thrive.