HETTY

Category: Public Speaking, Performing

  • Adorable Animals and Children.

    When are you most happy?

    I have severe depression and moments of anxiety, so it’s a struggle to be happy in middle age. Especially knowing what I know. However, there are bright spots that I live for. I really like comedy, even though I find it hard to laugh at most comedy. I tend to find sight gags and written jokes funnier than most stand up comedy. And I tend to lean more towards dark humor.

    Music is a bright spot, especially if it’s a banger. I like a lot of the R&B/Funk/Disco type of EDM, if it’s original work or samples older songs I haven’t heard before.

    But cute and friendly dogs and cats, and adorable children? When I’m around them, I can be funny and sometimes even giddy. I’m one of those people who watches funny cat, dog, and baby videos. When I’m around dogs, cats, cute animals and babies, I can sing funny ditties, tell jokes, pet and/or cuddle, and sometimes feed pets or children. My mindset changes, and I feel better, if temporarily.

    I have a daughter now, less than a year old, and she really is adorable. So it brightens my day when I see her or when I’m with her.

  • Crippling Social Anxiety

    Have you ever performed on stage or given a speech?

    I have both performed on stage and given speeches before, but only in school and it was years ago. I remember performing skits in class, and I either blanked out and was fed the lines, or I had to read from a paper. And then with the speeches, I mostly read from the essay I wrote, only briefly looking at the audience. I even took a speech course in college, and got a better than average grade.

    However, I don’t find public speaking or performing pleasant. I was visibly uneasy in front of others, and sometimes I cut the speech short so I could return to the classroom desk. It was before I was diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder.

    Imagine, that I like stand up comedy, and would like to perform stand-up one of these days. I never have, so it remains a dream. Curse you, social anxiety!