Socially Impaired

What Do You Do when Anxiety Strikes in the Classroom?

By Joe Merva
Arts and Entertainment Editor

Nervous or anxious in class? You’re not alone.

Is your heart beating through your throat? Do you blush and immediately get nervous every time your name is called on in class? If so, you may be experiencing what a lot of other students are Social Anxiety Disorder.

According to Zaida C. Stewart, Case Manager at Bridgeport Health Care, Social Anxiety is an experience of fear or worry regarding social situations that can be judged by your peers. This form of anxiety can also be related to shyness. It’s considered a disorder when it impairs your ability to function in everyday life.

“The best way to help someone who is experiencing this problem is to reassure them that if they mess up, that they can never give up and by doing that, you can give them confidence to have their voice heard,” said Stewart.

She also explained that you have to take baby steps when trying to break free from this type of shyness. You can try to have someone that has a problem speaking aloud speak in front of one or two people before gradually speaking aloud in a full classroom.

This anxiety can really cripple your ability to perform something as simple as reading from a book out loud. You would think that people just get nervous standing in front of the class; however, the stress can build up as you anticipate your turn to speak.

When I first started here at HCC I would have assumed that I would’ve outgrown and left behind all the anxieties I felt as a teenager. But here I was, in my mid-twenties still nervous to read out loud and it left me questioning if I had a problem. I thought, “Hey, I’m just nervous, but why do I get nervous every time?” It turns out that a lot of people feel the same way.

“In general, I think that I worry too much about what other people think about me or what I’m saying, so that makes me nervous, which leads me to repeating my words and mumbling them,” said student Jackie Murko. She went on to describe the feeling of nausea building up in her stomach when she knows she will be called on next to talk in class.

This behavior is quite normal with most of us until this anxiety enables your ability to perform in everyday activities. The Director of Social Services at Northbridge Health Care Center, Clara Mederios, said, ,“People that have Social Anxiety Disorder tend to act shy and constantly worried about not having the right answer when there called on to respond.”

“I know for me when I was younger, my accent enabled me to feel comfortable speaking out in school. It’s mostly the factor that people are afraid of being evaluated by their peers,” she said. “There is a saying that there’s no such thing as a stupid question, but sometimes you say something and people may laugh at you anyway.”.

Some people have anxiety because of factors that they cannot control like an accent or the tone or pitch of their voice. Claudine Coba-Loh, Professor of Psychology and Behavioral Health at HCC, describes this anxiety by saying that a lot of us don’t want to be the center of attention, and if this anxiety gets extreme people will avoid social settings like a classroom, which might provoke symptoms again.

“Symptoms are nervousness, excessive worry, which is the “what if” syndrome. It also includes shortness of breath, trembling, and rapid heart rate,” said Coba-Loh.

I’ve been down the road of shyness and anxiety, myself. It goes all the way back to junior high school when presentations and speaking up in clas, first started rearing their ugly heads. I recall a time whenever my named was called to read something or speak aloud, my body would tighten up, and I would just shut down. People that know me now would never think that at one point, I couldn’t speak up in a classroom without getting really anxious.

The anticipation of being called on next would leave my desk wet from my wet hands. My heart would beat as if it was trying to jump out of my neck. Reading something from my text, felt like it would take forever but when it was over it was such a relief. My body cooled down and it felt like the cold sweat that I just experienced cooled my nerves. As time went on, I got more comfortable with the situation. The fact that I was outgoing had nothing to do with me getting extremely nervous in a class situation. So getting over this was extremely difficult, but everyone still gets nervous from time to time, it’s normal. I’m sure for others it’s not that easy of a solution.

According to Coba-Loh, the best relief will come if you turn to relaxation exercises such as deep breathing exercises. In some rather more extreme cases, anti-anxiety medication is needed. People can get over it, but they have to learn how to relax themselves. The key is to doing things like breathing to cool down and to feel less anxious in that moment you’re in.

“Many people will remain nervous or anxious in certain situations, but as long as it doesn’t limit your performance socially or professionally, it’s not Social Anxiety Disorder,” said Coba-Loh.

It can be a long road to recovery but you have to remember that all of us at some point get anxious in certain situations. It can be a speech, or just having your name called on in class or work. Your heart may beat fast, but as long as you’re prepared for that moment, you can get through it.