Overcoming Obstacles

Last week I completed something I have been avoiding for the longest time now. I made phone calls. Sounds like such a simple mundane task, right? To most it seems to be just that, but to me it was a monumental road block. I’ve never been comfortable making or receiving phone calls unless it was someone I knew personally. At work, I used to avoid being near the phone just so I wouldn’t have to answer it if it rang. It causes me such incredible anxiety that I almost can’t place the call, so I am very proud of myself for completing this menial chore. Especially because it was so essential to my project. It’s the only way I can set up interviews. When I get stuck in situations like this, there is always one question: why? Why do phone calls give horrible anxiety? Well, I did some research and it turns out that telephobia is an actual phobia. That surprised me because it sounds so silly; it’s simply the fear of telephones. Though that doesn’t answer what the actual cause of anxiety is, and that is very vital information because truthfully I can be a very anxious person. According to WebMD the most common external cause of anxiety is stress from any number of different sources like school and work. That was expected, and with deadline of semester project looming in front of me it is understandable why I could be stressed. I also found that anxiety can be linked to medical causes such as hypoglycemia, or abnormally low blood sugar levels. I was diagnosed with hypoglycemia about two years ago, and while it doesn’t account for the anxiety I experience specifically when I need to use the phone, it does account for the day to day I endure. If any of you also have trouble making phone calls the biggest tip I can give you is to make a script for yourself! It makes the ordeal way less stressful and unpredictable. I hope this helps anyone who experiences the same thing or entertained the people who don’t!

Updates

     Before I update you on the events that have happened since I last posted I would like to formally apologize for being absent from my blog for so long.  I believe the last time I updated you was back in October....embarrassing. And kind of unprofessional now that I think about it, but it's in the past now.
      Let's start with acquisition of skill.  If you have forgotten because it's been so long, I was supposed to master ten yoga poses and present them to the class.  That presentation happened back at the end of November, and I feel like it went really well. I managed to perform my poses all successfully.  It surprised with how well it went because I was nervous, so I thought I might fall or something. Looking back on this now I realize how much I miss doing yoga. I have not been doing it due to lack of time and commitment, but I think I am going get back into it because it was a good stress reliever. And I have a lot of stress right now.
      That brings us to my next update.  The project.  For my semester project I am conducting interviews with residents at my local nursing home and compile those into a book of memoirs.  I doing this with two purposes.  Firstly, I am hoping to make an impact in younger people's live by helping them to understand the importance of learning from people who have already gone through adolescence, so the teens do not make the same mistakes.  Secondly, I want to provide the residents at the nursing home with company.  So back in December, we had two presentations.  We had the Open Faire. That was a public presentation where anyone from the community could come and see what anyone from the Open Program was doing for their semester project.  Then we had our presentation to the school board.  This presentation was used so the school board could approve our project and our continuation in the program.  Since I am writing to you now, you could probably assume it went very well.  Currently, I have conducted four of the nine interviews I plan on completing.  Also, I have finished writing the introduction and first chapter of the book.  I working on the second chapter right now.  Those are all the updates I have for now so hopefully my absence from updating will significantly less than last time.