Being in the spotlight

Being in the spotlight.

That moment when the teacher points at you for an answer. This can be enough to trigger anxiety for some of us. Or maybe your work has been so good, you have been asked to stand up and present it to the whole class, or your year group, or even the whole school. Imagine how that could feel. What started off as pride because of excellent work could easily switch to never wanting to do well again!

Thought might be:

‘If I speak in front of the class, I might something dumb and everyone will laugh at me. If I speak in front of the school, I will be judged by everyone. If I answer a question and get it wrong I will blush and everyone will see I am embarrassed’.

Being out of your comfort zone is scary – for everyone. It’s because we are voluntarily being vulnerable and we have no way of knowing if it will have a positive outcome. There’s that fear of uncertainty and failure again! It’s natural to want to appear confident and ‘together’, but if we can learn to just have a go, and shake off the consequences, whatever they may be, each time will be easier.

1: 20 seconds of insane courage is all you need.

2: Know what your motivator is.

3: Ask yourself – ‘what is the worst that can happen?’

4: Make it a habit. Come outof your comfort zone often.