STUNT:
Nicole Orr
-I commit to writing for 30
minutes every day
-My stunt is focused on
becoming more comfortable with interactions
-I will consider this aspect
from 3 different perspectives, one each week for three weeks
Week One: Awareness.
In this week, I will:
Reach out to people from my
childhood, my workplace, my family and my travels and I will ask them how they
saw me. Did they notice me avoiding interactions?
Start a blog/diary on why I
think I am this way.
Week Two: Action
In this week, I will:
Make a minimum of three
invitations to do something social
Engage in at least two
conversations with total strangers
Have at least one long phone
conversation with someone that's not family
Get in touch with somebody
from my childhood
Make a list of expectations
on how I think these interactions will go
Week Three: Analysis
In this week, I will:
Analyze how expectations for
interactions panned out
Answer the question: why am I
this way?
Plan of Attack:
I am a very friendly person.
I can make people laugh. I can maintain long conversations. I do very well in
job interviews and I pride myself on my eloquence. All of this, however, is in
appearance only. I've got a fantastic poker face. Inwardly, I am always
fighting to control my environment. I can think of nothing more intimidating
than an hour long car ride with someone I barely know. Not more than a few
words in with somebody and I'm already planning my exit. I get so wrapped up in
how a conversation might fall flat; a hug might go too long, an invitation
overstayed, a gift unappreciated, friendliness unwanted or a compliment taken
wrongly, that I prefer to just bow out entirely. I want to get out of it
quickly, all of it, in a well controlled manner. The shorter the interaction,
the less likely it'll turn awkward. The more the interaction is under my
control; the easier it'll be to escape it. My stunt is to become more aware of
my doing this, to lessen my avoidance of interactions and hopefully, to feel
safe enough in said interactions to not even look for an escape at all.
Removal: I
will not bring family members along to interactions to make them easier.
Consequences:
No Almost Human episodes
Places: I
will watch my avoidance of interactions aboard public transit, in the workplace
and with friends
People: I
will ask family to point out when they notice me avoiding meeting people
Things: I
will use my computer to keep an online record of my experiences and will
interact with the Stunt Writing forums
Research: I
will research social anxiety, introversion vs. extroversion,
Data: I will
keep hard copies of everything I learn, including the thoughts others give me
Change: I
will recognize my own excuses and ignore them
Practice: Instead of waiting for people to ask me questions, I
will talk about myself anyway and NOT finish my sentences with a question.
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