Halle PuteraProfessor AlexanderCreative Writing (ENG225)24 March 2018SymptomsI was eleven and it was mayfly season. Well, I don’t know if “mayfly” is the correct term. They looked like large, prehistoric mosquitoes; hideously annoying things, they would appear religiously every autumn. I don’t think anyone knew what they really were; it’s just what everyone called them: mayflies. But I digress.Gym class was held in gender segregated sections: the boys got flag football, baseball, and Mr. Lambright; while the girls were stuck with field hockey, softball, and mean, old Mrs. Ryder. She was a tough looking woman; high, blonde ponytail always pulled back in a painful looking tightness, a permanent frown etched into her middle-aged face, and a copious …show more content…
Though my hands were still sweaty, and my voice was still shaky, I fancied myself a movie star. At seventeen, I was rotten at public speaking. Whether it was ordering a coffee, or talking on the phone, I stuttered and shook and cringed. I had to rehearse most of my small, scripted interactions in the mirror before I left the house. Every interaction became an Easter party. Leaving the house was exhausting; my life in the outside world was a consistent stressor. It left me reeling, unstable. I suppose I was waiting to grow out of it. In school, conversations plagued me. I’d spend my waking moments asking why, why, why, and my nights cringing at all my past interactions: stupid, stupid, stupid. No matter how many times I practiced or how confident I was feeling, I’d always face their stares and panic. Palms sweaty, knees weak, arms heavy—but no vomit on my sweater that resembled mom’s spaghetti. Senior year, I was asked to speak in front of the school about “goals” (whatever that means); naturally, I almost wet my pants in front of the principal. Though my school was small (about one hundred kids to a grade), public speaking was still public speaking. He mentioned that he wanted some of the quieter kids to “have a chance to speak their mind.” I thought he shouldn’t get the chance to hear it. I skipped half of my second period class to practice in the bathroom. I had already sweat through my thick, …show more content…
Are you afraid they’ll notice your discomfort? Do you expect the worst possible consequence from a negative experience during a social situation?(I avoided eye contact) I guess, yeah.She wrote some things down on her clipboard. I wiped my palms again.She put her pen down with a decisive clack and crossed her legs. “Well, I certainly don’t think you’re depressed, you’re just one in ten.”I stared at the wall behind her. “What does that mean?”“Girly,” she chuckled, “you’ve got a bad case of social
The idea that high school is one of the best times of life is constantly stated. Parties, friends, and endless days of fun is the American stereotype. These dreams dissipate, though, if you start freshman year with a record of zero friends. In the young adolescent novel titled Speak, written by Laurie Halse Anderson, the reader encounters the feeling to lack the most powerful tool ever given to you: the tool of words. Melinda’s predicament commences after an end of summer senior party, where she cruelly got raped. Rather than sharing her pain with the world, and achieving justice, she chose to keep her secret locked up, as she did not know how to reveal it. Speaking out would have dramatically changed her life for the better. The main theme
For example, if I see one of my classmates looking standoffish I can go to them and ask them how they are feeling. Or, I can include them in a conversation with one of the patients so they are able to get acclimated to the environment. I know myself personally don’t have issues approaching strangers, however I understand that others may not have this quality. In this case, I want to make sure I can assist them. For myself I can help myself by being careful with whom I approach.
Each speech was written as we strived to choose the right words that would have exactly the right impact on the crowd. I became more anxious as I tried to prepare myself to give my last speech. I cleared my throat and I was suddenly the first one in line. I stepped up to the microphone and began flipping through a pile of loose papers searching for the speech I had written, analyzed, read, and re-read. Just as quickly, I came across a paper with my name written across the top. I took a deep breath and began to read it aloud. My nerves were a little more at ease as I read through the text I had written. I spoke naturally and fluently just as the day before when I practiced. I took time to look into the crowd. As I scanned the crowd I spotted my parents once again, and just like before they began to excitedly
I pretty much felt like an outcast when I began high school. Most of my classmates still had their friends from middle school, whereas mine went to the neighboring high school. Having social anxiety really didn’t help me either. It was hard for me to make eye contact with others or even bother to introduce myself to new people. In the first few weeks of high school, something had caught my eye. There were flyers advertising auditions for ‘The Little Mermaid’ production. Taking the risk, I decided to audition. Through the auditorium doors there was a grey table with upperclassmen talking to other students. Located on the table were different character scripts and a clipboard for signing in. One of the strangers approached
Listening, I could hear them, the persistent sound of chatter and laughter. The roar of ambient joy rang from the house and into the ears of everyone behind the scene. You never know what to expect when you're standing backstage; you never know what's going to happen. Thousands of thoughts and worries are bouncing around your head. What if I mess up my life? What if I miss my cue? What if I forget how to speak? It isn't until that very precise moment when the audience's voices have hushed to a whisper and directly before the curtain has opened that your mind becomes clear. You forget all about the hundreds of people that came to see your show. You forget all about the friends you have in the audience just waiting for that moment when you have to do some embarrassing stunt on stage to capture it on film. You even forget all about who you are and all your worries. In that moment, you are an actor.
...ore my mom forced me to get in front of an audience and speak the easier it became for me to. I was able to breathe better and calm myself down. By the time I got in high school it wasn’t that big of a problem for me and I had always wondered why. After watching this documentary I realized I had probably learned how to turn down the crosstalk that was occurring between my pre-frontal cortex and my amygdala. I happen to find this quite interesting.
Social anxiety goes from not being able to socialize with people in a class to never leaving home due to the anxiety that is causes. Markway’s article states that there are three categories involved with social anxiety; mental distress, physical distress, and how avoidance affects someone socially. Mentally, it is exhausting to talk to people for to people and have that constant anxiety about the way they talk and act. People with social anxiety often think about how they can humiliate and embarrass themselves in front of others. This drives someone to fear that they may do something wrong at any given moments and may be rejected altogether (“Markway”, 2013).
Lucas devotes a section of chapter one to talking about the history of public speaking stating that every culture has some word equivalent of the word speaker. Lucas then goes on to tell the similarities and differences between public speaking and conversation. Stephan Lucas then goes on to explains in this chapter that nervousness and stage fright are among the leading causes for the fear of public speaking. But he then assures us that nervousness is normal, and a welcomed part of speech giving. Lucas proves his point by saying, “If you feel nervous about giving a speech, you are in very good company. Some of the greatest public speakers in history have suffered from stage fright, including Abraham Lincoln, Margaret Sanger, and Winston Churchill” (Lucas, 2012 pg. 9). Lucas says that you should not run from your nervousness, but instead try to turn it into a positive nervousness. Lucas then goes on to give six ways to turn the negative nervousness into positive nervousness. They are acquiring speaking experience, preparation, positive thinking, visualization, realizing you’re nervousness isn’t visible and not expecting perfection. Now that Lucas has touched on the history, fears, and possible rewards of public
If one approaches the conversation in a negative attitude or thinking it is going to be difficult that will ultimately transmit in the persons body language and demeanor. Manzoni also suggested to breathe throughout the
Matthew who was also named Levi was a tax collector. It is uncertain if Jesus gave him the name Matthew or if he changed it himself. His name Mathew is the shortened version of Mattathias meaning, “the gift of God”. He was a 1st-century Galilean. He supposed to be born in Galilee, which was not part of Judea or the Roman Judaea province. He was the son of Alpheus. His occupation before encountering a life changing moment with the Lord was being a tax collector. He collected the taxes of the Hebrew people for Herod Antipas, the tetrarch of Galilee. His tax office was located in Capernaum. As a tax collector it is assumed that Matthew was literate in Aramaic and Greek language.
That was the day of our first speech. Public speaking has been know from anxiety producing abilities, and on that day, it hit me like a tsunami . As I began, I soon found myself frozen. I even tried to end it early to try to save myself some humility, completely forgetting that I was required to stay up here for at least 1:30 seconds. As I tried to escape Ms. Watkins lassoed me back like I was a newborn Calf . On that, my anxiety got the best of
For as long as I can remember, public speaking has always been one of my greatest weaknesses. Whether it’s a simple in-class presentation or a speech in front of an auditorium filled with people, I can barely get my words out from the anxiety and stress. I’ve always admired those who seem to be able to just flow through their speeches without as much as a hint of nerves. The reason I decided to write my paper on this specific topic was to learn about different tips that people have for public speaking.
I decided that my actions were no longer beneficial to me and I wanted to charge. This transition was scary I had to leave the only friends I’d had outside of my brother and start over. My eleventh grade year changed my life. I didn’t have high school or myself figured out yet but I was ready to dive in and swim. I’d tried fitting in mimicking trends and behaviors of everyone else. Then one day I reflected on my experiences and what I had gained from them, nothing! I wasn’t popular, cool, and I didn’t have a girlfriend or any prospects. Trying to fit in was a constant failure, my last resort was to just be myself. My junior year was the year that I decided to be myself my attitude was positive. I was kind, smart, funny, and I had style. I began to work every day after school at McDonald’s and I joined the drama club. With the money from my job I started buying nicer clothes I didn’t always have the newest fashions or the best attire but my confidence was radiant. The drama club shed light on my humorous side participating in school plays showed my peers my talents. Girls began to notice me I got a girlfriend and I’d had a few admirers. High school wasn’t so bad after all. My eleventh grade year was the first year of high school that concluded in a triumphant
Alyssa Norden Princess Storrer AP Composition 20 May 2014 Dress Codes: More Than Just Clothing Regulations Schools all over the world have created and enforced dress codes. Some schools are more relaxed than others; however, they all share the common theme of regulating what students can and cannot wear during the school day. But what happens when the latest fashion trends completely compromise the implemented dress code? That is the problem student’s-particularly young women- are facing in today’s society. The overwhelming increase in dress code violations has brought to light another issue associated with the codes: sexism.
I didn’t show up at the Miss Lanier pageant expecting to win. There were at least 15 other girls competing against me. I just wanted to have fun that day. I was nine years old at the time. I wasn’t nervous at all, not about the 15 girls competing against me, not nervous about the three judges at the front of the stage, not nervous at all. Now that I look back on that day, I realize that I should’ve been nervous; my hands should’ve been shaking, my stomach turning, and my brain in turmoil while waiting to step on stage. But I wasn’t. All I wanted to do that day was have fun and maybe make a friend or two. My mom and I stood behind the stage, waiting, just waiting. At one point the pageant director came to make sure nothing was wrong. Some of the girls next to me were acting like it was Miss Universe, but I was just treating it like a dressed up walk on a stage. Once she left we stood in a line at the back entrance to the