Originally Posted by
Matsya
Hi Kristydani,
I can relate to your problem. Myself got anxious around professors too. Not specifically young attractive men, but around the older very wise ones.
What can I say? For me they were like very impressionate rolmodels, to which, I felt, I couldnt come close to. But, because you are a 19 year old girl,
and you feel anxious around late 20's early 30's male professors, I get the impression this has got something to do with relationship anxiety?
After all, a good looking, smart and young professor might just be the ideal mate. Maybe im off, and there are no romantic feelings involved, just correct me.
Now, I did something very silly during the times I was extremely anxious in class. I would visualize the situation, me, the class, the teacher, the topic.
When doing so, I would change all these variables, so the picture and ideas in my mind would reflect nothing about the situation anymore.
For example, I would change the people to ducks. Then I would change their voices into squicky (the sound ducks make? like donald duck) ones.
I would change the topic into something completely rediculous, something I couldnt take serious. Doing this I would keep creatively change the situation.
What this did for me was: I just couldnt take myself serious. The idea of me getting anxious because of a duck, or being a duck would be to preposterous.
I would visualise me embarrasing myself, and all that could happen. But making it as funny as possible. Take the hard edge of the situation.
I know it can be hard to sit in class when feeling so anxious. But I would highly advise you to just keep going, and somehow to try to take things not too serious.
I hope sincerely you will find a way to start enjoying going to class and talking to these professors.
Take care,
Matsya