# Bonnaroo solo!



## rlr9571 (Oct 28, 2010)

I will start by saying I have been working very hard to get my social anxiety under control. It was so bad in high school that I never ate lunch even though I was hungry... literally just sat in the hallway every day... that was at the peak of my social anxiety I think... since then small and some bigger steps here and there. 

So recently I just made a huge leap of progress by going to a multi-day music festival, Bonnaroo, by myself... first ever concert or festival I went alone.

It's definitely much different than just tagging along in a group which I had done a couple of times before at the same fest in previous years.

One big difference by going alone was that I certainly HAD to be social with the people I was camping around. Luckily this time I was camped next to a pretty cool couple a little younger than me and they were easy to talk to and not judgmental... that helped a lot! I didn't talk much to my other neighbors but hope to socialize more in that regard at my next fest (since this was my first solo one I didn't push the socializing TOO much but enough I think). It was nice since you're around so many people, from different places but you all automatically have something in common and are looking to have fun.

Learning to let loose in the crowd during the actual music also helped but I had done that in earlier festivals, however, just the experience of being there by myself the whole time definitely added another dimension to my experience of each show because it was me alone choosing what to see and when and generally just how I approached it all. I am much less tense and don't feel the fear of being judged as much now because I realized just how silly to feel like you can't "let loose" in a crowd when everyone is dancing around you. I think going there alone really helped "put me out there" the most.

It's almost too much to explain it all but I highly recommend doing this for adventurous people who want to get over some social anxiety. I feel much more comfortable simply looking people in the face and much more positive overall with interacting with people. 

I am definitely going to start going to more concerts and fests now. Amazing that I never went to a single concert JUST by myself during my whole 20's because I was too fearful and depressed and only every rarely went to anything except when it was "safe" when I was with a group... now I just can't wait to go to the next one by myself and see what happens... a total shift for me!


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## ChrisA (Nov 6, 2003)

Thats great. Pretty impressive going by yourself. I think people that dont have SA would have a tough time doing that.


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## rlr9571 (Oct 28, 2010)

Thanks. I think the sheer size of the event helps a lot too because it made my problems feel somewhat "small" in comparison. I'm so glad I didn't just hide away in my apartment all summer again.


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