Hi, everyone! Anxiety in Teens is starting a new section, every Monday, called Mention it to Morgs. Mention it to Morgs will be a question and answer section, where I will post the questions that I receive via email each week and answer them to my best ability!
In case you are wondering who you’re writing these questions to, my name is Morgan (but everyone calls me Morgs), and I am 21 years old. I am originally from a Chicago suburb, but I’m now a student at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities majoring in Communication Studies with a minor in Design and a minor in Leadership! I am very creative and love to do arts & crafts and to bake. I am all about my friends and family! Most importantly for this column, I am super passionate about raising mental health awareness, so ask away!
QUESTION:
How can I better deal with talking to other classmates and professors in a more relaxed manner? I feel like I’m just so nervous I speed right through all my conversations.
ANSWER:
Thanks for your email! The first thing I would do is think about why you get so nervous talking to people. Do you get nervous when you talk to friends or is it just to strangers? What are you afraid that your professors won’t like about you? Do you think you’re going to slip up and say something dumb? In order to stop social anxiety at school – or anywhere! – think about some of your insecurities! Finding the root of the problem first or at least a general idea, can enable me to help you and give you tips to combat this! In general some tips would be: take a deep breath. Deep breathing will activate your parasympathetic nervous system. This works in conjunction with the sympathetic nervous system, triggering the body to secrete hormones to decrease blood pressure and heart rate, inducing a relaxation response (Sue Doucette, Livestrong.com). Have some confidence! People will like you for just the way you are, and everyone gets nervous. Be prepared. Professors can be intimidating, however, they are people too, so go over in your head what you’re going to say to the professor! Professors want to help and get to know you and they are there for you, so just remember that they were a student once too. People aren’t there to point out your flaws. When talking to most people, they are just interested in talking and hearing what you have to say, not even recognizing your flaws. Think about talking to your friends and family – what do they do to comfort you? Try to notice these positive things when you’re talking to others. Just take a deep breath, and everything will be okay! People will like you!
If you have any questions big or small email MentionItToMorgs@Anxietyinteens.com !
See you next week!
Keep smiling,
Morgs
“You can’t control everything. Sometimes you just need to relax & have faith that things will work out. Let go a little & just let life happen.”