I would like to stop getting nervous

Anjali Deepu
Grade 8, Sharjah Indian School

I am known for my nervousness and anxiety, both at school and at home. I become nervous before an exam (wondering about the questions to come), during an exam (which makes me sweat and forget the answers) and after an exam (wondering about my performance). I become nervous even if the teacher is late for class!

‘Will I be able to do it?’, ‘What if I fail?’, ‘What will others think?’, ‘Will others like it?’ These kinds of pointless doubts often arise in my mind due to nervousness and they make me doubt myself. Due to this anxiety, my stomach grumbles and I usually fail to understand the things which are happening around me. Nervousness frequently also distracts me from things and confuses me. At times, anxiety doesn’t allow me to speak properly (especially when judges ask me questions in a competition). It makes me mutter a series of unrelated words.

My teachers have helped a lot in making me tackle my nervousness.

In an interview or an elocution, the persons sitting in front of us are likely to evaluate or judge our confidence and ability by our expressions and body language and nervousness leads to restless movements, sweating and an appearance of frailty that lead to an inability to complete or perform a task.

Though my friends claim that nervousness also has a positive side, I have not been able to see it. The only positive outcome of nervousness I realise is that I take extra precautions and check each and every thing twice.

How I wish I could replace my nervousness with confidence!

If I found a Dh100 note on the street, I would...

... give it to charity because the money was lost due to the carelessness of the owner and it would help the needy.