self-talk for occasion involving professional scrutiny

[MinaLaury]

Hi all. This is my first post. I'm looking for advise on what to tell myself about a work situation I'm very nervous about. I'm a teaching assistant at a university and have been teaching several classes on one particular course over the past twelve weeks. Tomorrow and the next day, the students are presenting their final projects and for each class, an external examiner is sitting in with me to co-examine them. I have to take the lead, setting it up and leading the questions etc. There's one particular class I haven't established a good rapport with because it's the first one every week and am usually nervous going into it. Anyway, the overall co-ordinator of the course, who's got quite a strong personality and cares a lot about teaching, will be sitting in with me for that one and i am now terrified of making a bad impression on her. It's my weakest class all round and i'm worried it will reflect badly on me or that i'll be completely inhibited in her presence. Anyway I know full well this doesn't matter that much in the large scheme of things but this is someone whose opinion i really respect as I hold both her research and teaching work in very high regard. I can't seem to be able to calm myself down and am feeling pure dread! I've mentioned it to a few people around me but they can't fathom getting worked up about something like this. To me, being watched while I interact with students is my worst nightmare and i have managed to avoid it up until now. Any words of wisdom would be much appreciated!

Thanks!

[Adi RootZ]

tell yourself it will be fine one that i usually say to myself is "f*** it" seriously lol

[Kuma]

I suspect you know the material well. Everything else follows from that.

Try to act confident. People who act confident are perceived to be authoritative. (And what they are feeling inside nobody ever has to know...)

[TheNightWalker]

Hi all. This is my first post. I'm looking for advise on what to tell myself about a work situation I'm very nervous about. I'm a teaching assistant at a university and have been teaching several classes on one particular course over the past twelve weeks. Tomorrow and the next day, the students are presenting their final projects and for each class, an external examiner is sitting in with me to co-examine them. I have to take the lead, setting it up and leading the questions etc. There's one particular class I haven't established a good rapport with because it's the first one every week and am usually nervous going into it. Anyway, the overall co-ordinator of the course, who's got quite a strong personality and cares a lot about teaching, will be sitting in with me for that one and i am now terrified of making a bad impression on her. It's my weakest class all round and i'm worried it will reflect badly on me or that i'll be completely inhibited in her presence. Anyway I know full well this doesn't matter that much in the large scheme of things but this is someone whose opinion i really respect as I hold both her research and teaching work in very high regard. I can't seem to be able to calm myself down and am feeling pure dread! I've mentioned it to a few people around me but they can't fathom getting worked up about something like this. To me, being watched while I interact with students is my worst nightmare and i have managed to avoid it up until now. Any words of wisdom would be much appreciated!

Thanks!

The anticipation of an unpredictable situation can make almost anyone nervous/anxious. If you suffer from a condition, the negative mental state will be multiplied. Self-talk therapy has proven useful in the past for me, but try doing one or more of the following.

1. Listen to a particular song you enjoy or relaxation music.

2. Meditation may seem crazy when first observed, but it can do wonders for calming you down and drastically improving your mood.

3. Talk to a friend to help build up your self-confidence and reassure yourself you have what it takes to get the job done.

While difficult, you can even ignore her existence and follow the normal procedure you usually do (with regards to obeying the policies). While doing my job, I am occasionally watched by a multitude of people, including my supervisor, manager, and human resource staff. However, I ignore them as if they don't exist as I follow all the necessary procedures and policies while performing my job function.