hi, im from edmonton (go oilers go) and ive been living with SP since I was 14 and Im now 24. But anyways, its nice to see other people in this city who i can relate to because i never knew where to look untill i started doing research on the internet and found these forums. My SP was fairly severe starting at 14 and then i started getting some control of it by the time i graduated high school. Not full control, as I still have problems initiating conversation and Im very quite still. It used to be so bad that I would never talk in class, never raise my hand, never look anyone in the eye. It was a terrible experience. In some classes I sat by myself tucked all the way in the corner and I wouldnt associate with anyone. I would be very tense too. Funny thing though is that I was very outgoing as a kid growing up, I had lots of friends and I was pretty happy. I was always very sensitive to criticism though and I can be pretty emotional (Like a girl, hah...j/k) Anyways, so by the time I got to grade 8 I just completely closed myself to my peers in class and elsewhere. What helped open me up was taking martial arts and being forced to interact with other people in a crowded enviroment. It gave me confidence, self-esteem and made me a better person generally. Although I still have symptoms of SP, it's not so bad as it was in the past. Although it has it's cycles as well too, depending on my mood that is and how I feel about myself that day.
Im heading out to the meeting here in edmonton on june 10th, it should be pretty interersting.