Severe anxiety and presentations
Sorry if this is so long but I really need to get this out my system and before I even say anymore I have aspergers and social anxiety. We have to do a 5 minute presentation for one of my classes and I can't even express in words how nervous it's making me. I'm in year 12 and obviously with university applications coming up I know presentations are a part of uni but might as well put that to one side for a bit as I'm not even sure if I want to apply. The topic we present on is our choice as long as it is related to the syllabus and I have an idea but I've done no preparation as a refusal approach because my teachers are being incredibly non understanding and not appreciating the immense difficulty it causes me and then they keep saying everyone feels the same but let's admit it, everyone doesn't feel the same. We did one earlier in the year and I said 3 words before bursting into tears and running out the class and everyone else managed to do it successfully. I really don't see the point anyway because I have no future in anything that involves talking and communicating and I'm quite happy to make my part time job at the moment my full time job forever. The thought of the whole thing is genuinely making me ill and I react really badly when I get nervous by getting extremely angry then extremely upset which I have shown in the lessons over the past few days with being kicked out the lesson 3 times (over 4 lessons) and then getting incredibly upset after. Please help me and give some advice because I'm so upset, nervous and distressed I'm genuinely thinking about dropping out of school tomorrow morning
I understand how you feel, but remember when you start it will end. Once you start the presentation you just have to talk and then it will end. Trust me I know how you feel I had to do a debate and I was shaking head to toe. You can do it!
OK, this might not help yet, but what I will say is that you don't have to suddenly overcome this all at once. And even if you do go to university, it's not the case that you will suddenly be expected to do lots of presentations.
I have severe social anxiety too. Fortunately I never had to do any during college, but during my undergraduate degree, the two presentations I was supposed to do I was given mitigating circumstances for, so that they were not included. In fact, my student adviser's advice was to not do it even if I got a mark of 0, because one grade is such a small part of the overall degree.
Then, when it came to my Masters degree, I had to start speak - there were only 7 of us on the course and I was absolutely paralysed by fear. So my supervisor built up very very slowly with me. Painfully slowly. We started where he would e-mail me some questions and I would e-mail my replies back. Then he started to feed those back into sessions and say them for me, so that I could learn that my contributions were ok without being judged or having to use my voice. Then we built up so that he would ask me a question that he knew I could answer, and I could give a one word reply back. And eventually it built up where he asked me, and I managed to whisper a whole sentence aloud. If I couldn't cope, I could just write it down or whisper it to the coursemate who sat next to me, who would say it for me instead.
That's a bit rambling, but I just mean, there are people who will understand, and they can help you work on this (if you do decide to go to uni). And things can improve. I still have absolute terror and severe social anxiety, but I managed to get on a plane alone, fly to Scotland (from Sussex) and conduct focus groups with senior Civil Servants last year. So it is possible, I promise!
For now, I'm guessing that your tutors are aware of the issues you have? Can you let them know (either in person or in writing) how much you're struggling with this and how much it's impacting your health? I know it seems such a massive deal at the moment, but ultimately, it is not worth making yourself so distressed over, and if you're not up to it yet, that is ok. It doesn't mean it will never get better.
How are you doing now?
I have severe social anxiety too. Fortunately I never had to do any during college, but during my undergraduate degree, the two presentations I was supposed to do I was given mitigating circumstances for, so that they were not included. In fact, my student adviser's advice was to not do it even if I got a mark of 0, because one grade is such a small part of the overall degree.
Then, when it came to my Masters degree, I had to start speak - there were only 7 of us on the course and I was absolutely paralysed by fear. So my supervisor built up very very slowly with me. Painfully slowly. We started where he would e-mail me some questions and I would e-mail my replies back. Then he started to feed those back into sessions and say them for me, so that I could learn that my contributions were ok without being judged or having to use my voice. Then we built up so that he would ask me a question that he knew I could answer, and I could give a one word reply back. And eventually it built up where he asked me, and I managed to whisper a whole sentence aloud. If I couldn't cope, I could just write it down or whisper it to the coursemate who sat next to me, who would say it for me instead.
That's a bit rambling, but I just mean, there are people who will understand, and they can help you work on this (if you do decide to go to uni). And things can improve. I still have absolute terror and severe social anxiety, but I managed to get on a plane alone, fly to Scotland (from Sussex) and conduct focus groups with senior Civil Servants last year. So it is possible, I promise!
For now, I'm guessing that your tutors are aware of the issues you have? Can you let them know (either in person or in writing) how much you're struggling with this and how much it's impacting your health? I know it seems such a massive deal at the moment, but ultimately, it is not worth making yourself so distressed over, and if you're not up to it yet, that is ok. It doesn't mean it will never get better.
How are you doing now?
Does this presentation contribute to your grade? If not, I would just skip it, tell your teacher to gtf if he/she rebuttals. I did Scottish Highers and I never had to do a presentation, and if I did, it was not graded, but I just did it anyway for practise.
If it does count, make sure you know your stuff, know exactly what you are going to say. If possible, do it with someone else, as it is so much better doing it as a group than on your own.
Have you been to the doctor to get pills for this? My sister did and it made her feel much calmer during a presentation (Diazepam + propanolol + citralopram). All three of these drugs, of which are beta blocker, SSRI and a Benzodiazepines were needed for her to get thru her presentation.
She had severe anxiety which is why her doctor allowed her to have Diazepam, only for a short period of time since they are highly addictive. They helped her get through her degree. Without them, she would have failed uni.
You should seriously consider getting these, for when you have to do presentations at uni. They really are a secret weapon when you are a nervous orator.
Other natural, psychological techniques are available of course - which I am not in a position to tell you about, but you should find them out using the internet and or a health professional.
Things always work out in the end, regardless of how bad it feels at the time. Hopefully you do well!
If it does count, make sure you know your stuff, know exactly what you are going to say. If possible, do it with someone else, as it is so much better doing it as a group than on your own.
Have you been to the doctor to get pills for this? My sister did and it made her feel much calmer during a presentation (Diazepam + propanolol + citralopram). All three of these drugs, of which are beta blocker, SSRI and a Benzodiazepines were needed for her to get thru her presentation.
She had severe anxiety which is why her doctor allowed her to have Diazepam, only for a short period of time since they are highly addictive. They helped her get through her degree. Without them, she would have failed uni.
You should seriously consider getting these, for when you have to do presentations at uni. They really are a secret weapon when you are a nervous orator.
Other natural, psychological techniques are available of course - which I am not in a position to tell you about, but you should find them out using the internet and or a health professional.
Things always work out in the end, regardless of how bad it feels at the time. Hopefully you do well!
