Errands, Anxiety and Knee Armour.

There’s a famous quote that goes along the lines of “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing twice and expecting different results.”
Today, I took a walk into town. To anyone that knows me personally, this is an equally applicable definition for insanity. I try not to leave the house too often, except for supplies and work.

I went for a walk. Today, in my small corner of England, it was beautifully sunny with nothing but a whisper of wind. I like to be prepared for every eventuality so, naturally, I wore a jumper.
I had a bunch of errands to run (engage infinite panic mode) but I had an ulterior motive. I hoped that the proximity to healthy joggers and nature would engage the inspirational part of my mind.

Do you know what?
I actually enjoyed it. Every minute of it.
Do you know why?
Knee Armour.

Let me explain.
I’m a very imposing figure. I’m ridiculously, unbelievably tall but, because I’m unconfident and shy in social situations like large areas filled with people and noise, I tend to stoop and shrink away from attention. Today though, I decided to wear some sports knee supports (weird elasticated tubular things) entirely on a whim.
Boy, did that decision change everything.

I went from my usual hurried, slouching gait with hands in pockets to standing tall, striding to and fro with precise movements. My hands were to my sides and, in the confusion about what I should be doing with them on show, randomly found myself gripping door handles long moments after I meant to let go. Something about wearing those knee supports (which I now call my Knee Armour) changed the way my legs moved, which changed my entire stance. I felt like the protagonist from an Ayn Rand novel and it was glorious!

I went about my errands with such confidence I’ve never felt before and although it seems silly attributing such a good feeling to something as simple as knee supports, it really did help. Even the scary, adult responsibilities such as dealing with dentists, banks and talking about mortgages, I could assert this newfound confidence into my speech and talk with authority and direction.

Like all things, the feeling faded. Luckily, I was back home by that stage.
Thus ends the tale of Toby’s trip to town.

Thanks for reading this slightly mad tale that has no bearing on anything at all. If you made it this far, drop a comment. I’d love to hear if you guys have any personal ways of dealing with real-life difficulties, big and small.

Cheers, *raises a glass*
Toby