Conquering Alt anxiety

hand dyed yarn, FlagstaffIn years past, I’ve looked at Alt Summit (and a lot of other things) as something that would always be just unattainable for me. Out of my reach, out of my realm. But I’ve done a lot this past year or so to change that kind of thinking, which is probably a whole other post unto itself.

Despite that, I’m headed to Alt Summit next week. I literally bought my ticket on my phone while standing in line at a snack counter at the Grand Canyon in August. The anxiety finally hit me right in the chest last week. (Is that happening to anyone else headed to Alt right now?) Before the mind-numbing fear really started to take over my head, I decided to fight it off.

So I emailed Kathleen. She’s someone I admire for doing what she wants and being who she is, which sometimes feels rare to me in blog-type circles, and I hoped that she would have something valuable to share with me.

Reaching out to someone you admire for advice is a risk. I decided that taking that risk would help me feel more in control of the situation, like I was taking a step to help myself. Even if she was too busy to respond or my email got lost in her inbox, I would still feel like I had successfully managed a bit of fear just by reaching out to her.

In addition to her (super quality) advice, this is what I learned from that experience: People are just people. Even your big internet girl crushes, which is super applicable during Alt season. Don’t be afraid to reach out to people you admire or who are more experienced than you. Chances are, they’ll be wonderful. Worst case scenario? They’re busy and don’t get back to you. And still, you gain the experience of having taken that risk, small though it may have been.

So, if you’re headed to Alt for the first time this week, head over to the Braid blog to read the advice Kathleen shared with me, and then take one step to help yourself feel more confident and prepared. Also, I can’t wait to see you there! Please say hi!


Comments

4 responses to “Conquering Alt anxiety”

  1. It’s my 1st time at AltSummit too. I’m nervous and in denial so this article will certainly help. Thanks!

    1. I’m glad you found this helpful! I hope we see each other there!

  2. Michele Schwartz Avatar
    Michele Schwartz

    Thanks for sharing your nerves. It reminds we we’re all feeling the same thing and that we’re there to all learn and support one another. I congratulate you on reaching out to one of your internet girl crushes. I did it too! Now, I can’t wait to meet everyone next week. If I could only figure out what to wear?

  3. Thanks for the reminder to not be afraid to reach out and sharing your nervousness. I’m still thinking about an ALT! Right now I’m actually nervous about another conference — lol. Thanks Lisa!

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