Re: writing anxiety workshops

[csjhs@eiu.edu (Jeanne H. Simpson)]

Wendy

I think these workshops are an excellent idea.  Here's an idea from when I
teach the freshman seminar/college survival course here.  Have a list of
common fears:   I won't be able to make the grade
                Everyone else is better prepared than I am
                I don't understand XXX and everyone else does

We have a list of about 12 or 15 of these.  We ask students on the first
day of class to check off any of these that they have and to turn the
sheet in anonymously.  We then tabulate how many responses to each of the
fears we have.  

The point is to begin by showing how common these fears are, that most
people have them at some point.  

And then we talk about what causes the fears and how rational they really
are (not very) and what might be the absolute worst thing that might be a
realistic expectation, what can be done about that, etc.  Talking about
the fears, accepting their existence and then coming up with real
responses seems to help.

We do some role-playing and rehearsal about possible responses.  For
example, one common fear is of the fire-breathing professor. So, we
rehearse strategies (especially verbal ones) for talking to professors. 
We all say the words in unison four or five times, just to practice. 
Nobody feels silly, I promise.  It's a relief to everybody to discover
that they're not crazy. 

I keep remembering my son's belief in the monster who lived under his bed
when he was about 3.  I didn't tell him there was no monster, for as far
as he was concerned there was.  Rather, we checked to see if the monster
was there that night. Nope, not there tonight.  Ok, good, it's ok to go to
sleep.  Sometimes, you have to take this approach to a fear.  The fear is
real, whether the cause is or not.

Jeanne Simpson
csjhs@eiu.edu