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Social Anxiety at Uni

I've seen so many threads talk about struggling with SA at uni but they're usually about halls/student houses and not having friends. My issue is the actual classes/tutorials/seminars etc. I'm currently doing a unit that requires peer feedback and I'm not talking working in small groups. This is the whole class reading your work aloud to you and then criticising (constructively) and advising you. It's so embarrassing and makes me sweat and shake and want to run away. I can't do public speaking (reading out other's work) or handle the whole class staring at me and critiquing my work and asking me questions. I also don't talk to people in class because I'm so shy and then I feel so anxious and left out when people are laughing and chatting. It's making me depressed that I'm can't function or concentrate in the classes because I'm so anxious. Does anyone have this problem? Like I said earlier most of these types of threads are about not making friends but I have one good mate on my course, a boyfriend and I live in a house (I'm in second year) with old school friends that all go to the same uni so we are all close and I'm comfortable with them. It's the actual UNI CLASSES that are getting me down!!
(edited 6 years ago)
You should have known about the peer review modules when you started uni. And if you knew they were going to overwhelm you, you could've asked to delay your second year at uni to overcome any problems.
Original post by teddyxen
I've seen so many threads talk about struggling with SA at uni but they're usually about halls/student houses and not having friends. My issue is the actual classes/tutorials/seminars etc. I'm currently doing a unit that requires peer feedback and I'm not talking working in small groups. This is the whole class reading your work aloud to you and then criticising (constructively) and advising you. It's so embarrassing and makes me sweat and shake and want to run away. I can't do public speaking (reading out other's work) or handle the whole class staring at me and critiquing my work and asking me questions. I also don't talk to people in class because I'm so shy and then I feel so anxious and left out when people are laughing and chatting. It's making me depressed that I'm can't function or concentrate in the classes because I'm so anxious. Does anyone have this problem? Like I said earlier most of these types of threads are about not making friends but I have one good mate on my course, a boyfriend and I live in a house (I'm in second year) with old school friends that all go to the same uni so we are all close and I'm comfortable with them. It's the actual UNI CLASSES that are getting me down!!


I hope this helps:

1) Relax, imagine you're just observing or there as a traveller. For example, if you are on holiday, you go there to experience and observe the attraction, you're not going to get anxious doing that are you?

2) Smile, smiling in contagious.

3) Be confident, respect yourself, accept yourself, work out, wear good clothes, feel good, focus on your passions, know you are a good person who treats people well, think positively, be proud of yourself, do things that make you happy, remember your happy times, what makes you confident? What makes you proud? Do you have a skill you are good at? Do things like cooking, driving, learning that increases your confidence daily.

Have good posture, body language, improve your appearance.

4) Dress well, have good grooming, hairstyle, have good posture.

5) Just say hi or hey to people in your vicinity, who cares if they don't say anything back?

6) Ask how they are, how's everything, what made them choose this course, their plans for the future, their plans for the rest of the day, weekend, how was their weekend, what they will get up to, what they got up to, ask them about their hobbies, talk about what's happening.

Talk about the weather or did you see that sports game? Just mingle with them,

compliment them, say "I like your jacket". If you know they went on a holiday or somewhere, ask them about it etc.

7) Be passionate about life.

8) Lighten up, have a laugh, laugh easily, be friendly, approachable, interested, relaxed.

9) Look outside!
Reply 3
Avatar for Pathway
Pathway
20
You could go to your GP and ask for their help. They may be able to refer you for therapy, and for immediate issues give you anxiety medication as and when you need it (such as a benzodiazepine - careful though, don't take these everyday if they are prescribed because they're addictive, they're muscle relaxant and there area few different types of them too). They could also give you anti depressants if they think that might be beneficial.
Well you have two options:

1. speak to your university about the problems you're having - in my experience any time I mentioned my anxiety the uni bent over backwards to remove any triggers for me so they'll probably allow you to skip the lectures/not read/use your own work.

2. accept that this sort of thing will probably happen in life/jobs and so you need coping strategies - I'm guessing you know a lot of strategies for coping with anxiety so try and use them and get through it - if you do it you'll feel a little better next tiem
Reply 5
Avatar for teddyxen
teddyxen
OP
4
Thank you for the advice guys. I had therapy over summer for panic disorder and I feel completely free of panic attacks and agoraphobia so I know I respond well to treatment. I didn't address my social anxiety though. Going to email my tutor now and let the uni know my situation as I spoke to them about my panic disorder last year. Going to talk to my doctor/old therapist too. Thanks again 👍🏼

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