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.
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…
Proud to be perfect imperfect Too often, my desire to start a piece of work in just the right way would result in me delaying getting started until I’m up against a tight deadline. I have been guilty of the 3am rush to complete a piece of work – to the highest standard. No, a…
I’m a chubby, ginger, red-faced, nine-year-old and I’m being bullied by a girl in my class. She’s one year older than me. We’re such a small primary school that we have three years in the same class. My sister and I have been moved to this school because I was bullied in my last school…
Managing anxiety Your body’s response to stress is triggered automatically by a part of your nervous system that you have little control over. This takes you out of a calm and balanced state and puts you into a state of ‘fight or flight’, altering your heart rate, blood pressure and your breathing. This is when…
Returning to my old school, I hardly recognise it. The familiar building has been replaced with a sleek, university-like structure, and few of the faces are familiar. But it has been 12 years. Signing in at reception, surrounded by other visitors, I’m struck by how intimidating this place would have been to my 11-year-old self,…
University life is often romanticised as a period of freedom, self-discovery, and academic pursuit. However, for many students, it can also be a time of significant stress and anxiety. A report by Graham Russell and Steve Shaw from Plymouth University delves into the impact of social anxiety on student well-being and learning, shedding light on…
Don’t call my child shy I know, I know; it’s so easy to do, right? Every parent wants to raise a confident child. Yet, you say hello to a child and he buries his face in his mummy’s shoulder. The next words that come out of your mouth are something like “Aww he’s shy” or “You…