I was asked to write an article sharing my experience with anxiety as part of an initiative by The Deseret News that called for community members to share their perspective in hopes of raising awareness.
Anxiety is something that I have always experienced at church and other settings, and still don’t quite understand, but when my son, age 13, started to experience it too I knew I needed to seek out better understanding.
This quest to better understand inspired a desire to reach out to others who experience social anxiety at church. What I have learned I hope to share with others in hopes that it will raise awareness of such a pressing issue in the lives of many and help create a safe place for those struggle in this way.
There are truly simple ways to shift social interactions at church culture that can really help make church feel safe for those with anxiety. I share a few of the responses and insights from those I have interviewed in my article for The Deseret News.
You can read my article titled Wendy Santiano: Social anxiety and church: Being sensitive to others at all times at this LINK.
I hope that it will open up a much-needed dialogue and open your eyes to what we can do to help everyone feel comfortable at church.
If you would like to help out with future articles by sharing your perspective, CLICK HERE to fill out a survey. Thank you!