Pop Workshop Helped Me Stop Hiding From People and Start Showing Up Again
Created on May 4, 2026, 11:21 a.m. - by Muhammad Osama, Mobeen
Hey, my name is Kelvin Yap. I am a 26 years old, a Junior Designer in Singapore.
I’ve struggled with social anxiety for as long as I can remember. Not the loud, obvious kind — the quiet kind that hides behind polite smiles and nervous laughter. I blended into the background on purpose. At work, I avoided speaking unless I had to.
With friends, I kept conversations short and safe. In public, I pretended to scroll my phone just so I wouldn’t have to make eye contact with anyone. People often thought I was shy. But the truth was, I was scared — scared of being judged, misunderstood, or simply not enough.
It got worse when I joined my new job. Meetings made my chest tight. Team lunches felt like marathons. Even hearing my name in the office made my stomach drop.
One day, a colleague I trusted pulled me aside and said, “You deserve to be heard. Maybe try Pop Workshop — it helped me more than I expected.” I didn’t know what to expect, but I went.
My First Experience at Pop Workshop
Walking into the room, I felt nervous. My hands were cold, my heart was fast — the usual signs. But the atmosphere surprised me. People weren’t trying to impress anyone. They weren’t performing. They were just… human.
During one activity, we were invited to share a moment when we felt small. I hesitated, but when my turn came, I said,
“I’m scared people won’t like me if they see the real me.”
No one laughed. No one rushed to give advice. They just listened — fully, attentively, with warmth. For the first time in my life, I spoke in a room full of strangers and my body didn’t collapse from fear.
It wasn’t courage. It was safety — the kind I had never felt before. Pop Workshop didn’t teach me how to “fix” my anxiety. It helped me understand it — gently, honestly, without judgment.
What Changed After Pop Workshop
After that weekend, something began to shift inside me. I didn’t suddenly become outgoing — but I became more present. At work, I started raising my hand once in a while. Small things — asking a question, sharing a thought, saying my opinion in a calm voice. And each time, the world didn’t fall apart like I imagined.
I started having real conversations with my colleagues. Slowly, I learned that I didn’t have to be perfect to be accepted. Outside of work, I stopped avoiding social gatherings. Not all of them — just the ones I actually wanted to try.
I gave myself permission to show up as I am, not as who I thought I needed to be. Pop Workshop didn’t erase my anxiety. But it loosened its grip.
What I Learned
Social anxiety convinces you that you’re alone — that everyone else knows how to exist except you. But at Pop Workshop, I learned that everyone carries something quietly. Everyone has fears. Everyone wants to be understood.
And the moment you stop hiding, even a little, the world becomes less scary — because you start discovering that people are gentler than your mind assumes. I’m not completely free from anxiety, and that’s okay.
What matters is: For the first time in years, I’m showing up for my own life. One conversation at a time. One moment at a time. One honest breath at a time.