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HushFest is on the horizon. Cornwall’s festival of quietness, shaped by our community. |
Helpful tips and personal stories. Exploring challenges and successes in education when you’re feeling socially anxious, shy and not good enough. You are not alone.
I lay in bed, staring at my white and boring bedroom ceiling in an attempt to ignore the alarm on my phone that is growing louder with each passing second. I know as soon as I shift my gaze and turn off that alarm, that I will have to deal with the fact that I…
Remember how it felt at school, when a teacher would ask a question that you had no clue how to answer? So many of us have felt the sinking feeling of being picked despite our best efforts to appear invisible. (I’m talking shrinking down in seats, avoiding eye contact with the teacher- the best avoidance…
It’s fair to assume that if I have something coming up that I’m worrying about, I’ll be thinking of a thousand different ways things could go wrong. Because of this, situations often seem like they’re going to be worse than they realistically could ever be. Like a vicious cycle, the anxious thoughts can increase. However,…
One girl, a gap year, a university, and a whole lot of fear. That’s the run down of things right now. Let me explain… Things don’t always go to plan My intention was to start university last year, straight from college as most of my friends were doing. I was a mix of excitement and fear….
Breathing. Pfft!! How could breathing possibly help with anxiety? I used to feel so annoyed that anyone would even suggest the idea of using breathing techniques. “This isn’t something I have any control over!” I’d think with a roll of my eyes, “Don’t people know how paralysing the fear is for me?” It’s going to take…
Thinking back to infant school, I don’t remember having many problems. I didn’t feel unconfident, but there were times where I felt like the attention was on me. It was like what I was doing was wrong and people were judging me. I felt different. There were incidences in infant school where I was made…
Anxiety can take lots of different forms, but I think one common theme is that it can be extremely overwhelming. I’ve found that in the moment, it’s hard to focus on anything except how anxious I feel, like when I’m about to order a drink in a cafe, or meet a new group of people,…
As students, we have so many exams to take, it gets to the point that we’re almost reciting revision in our sleep. There’s so much to do and be ready for! I have my own kind of ritual whenever I first sit down for each exam. I recite a little phrase over and over in…
Imagine an excited, little 11 year old armed with a huge backpack and her two best friends on her first day of secondary school. We’re lucky enough that one of my friend’s older sister is already at the school, and she shows us to our tutor room. Naturally, I’m nervous, but I think everyone is…
Talking about our self-doubt and our anxieties in social situations is still taboo. We tend to think we should be able to do certain things, like talk to strangers and speak up, just because other people seem to manage with ease. It can feel like we’re the only person struggling. Then there’s the stigma we experience when…
It’s Time to Talk It’s Time to Talk about the quiet stuff… like when we’re struggling to do the things we THINK we should be able to (because other people seem to find them so easy). Or how anxious we feel when we’re expected to present, speak up in a group or talk to a…
How did you choose what to do after school? Did you choose a-levels based on a career path you wanted to take? Took a subject you enjoyed perhaps? Did you study as many subjects at college as you could to keep your options open? Not me. Following the herd I knew I didn’t like a…