I am really stressed!?

Question

I am in journalism, which means that I am on the schools paper and I hate it!! I can't quit beacuse I am not a quiter. I have to write two stories but I am way too shy to talk to the people who I need to. ( I am always very shy I don't even really talk at school) I just want advice on how to get enough courage to talk to guys I need to and how to make it through journalism.

Answer 1

I agree, you sound stressed. Everyone has their own "comfort zone" in certain areas of their life. You're pretty comfortable in journalism class, you have excellent grammar and you can communicate your thoughts with clarity. That's a great start to build your interviewing skills!

Now, here is what I suggest- Rather than get all twisted up to push yourself into a face to face interview situation, consider talking to your subjects by telephone. That way you'll have your questions and notes in front of you. It will keep you on track and give you courage. Do another call after that. It will be easier the second time.

Another idea- is to team up with someone who is very outgoing and let them be the initiator. Like: "Hey, Sammy. Come here and meet emmerz. We want to interview you for the paper."
See? You can still hang in the background a little bit and let your friend enjoy the limelight. Maybe she wants to be a part of the school paper but writing is not in HER "comfort zone". It's a win-win for you both.

Best of luck.

Answer 2

here's how i feel about this situation.. and i went thru this, so im tellin u from Firsthand experience!! :D u need to work on Yourself, and your confidence in yourself. so this is worth doing for yourself, ur own happiness, ur own life, and anything u are pursuing.. :) good luck!


the more u work on urself, the better u will feel. *trust me*.

so having said that, work on:

1) your appearance: work out. exercise. take care of ur body. take care of ur skin. get new haircut. try on new clothes. buy Flattering, stylish clothes, make u feel good and look good.

2) your mind: study. read more. learn more about current events. find a hobby, and excel at it. the more u KNOW, the easier it will be for you to develop your own ways of thinking, as well as be able to TALK w/ others about it.

3) your relationships: as u build ur confidence in urself, and keep in mind to be Open Minded, Non Judgemental to others..... u will be able to speak out more, talk to ur friends, family members, practice talking about anything and everything u are learning, or find out what they are interested in. the more u practice, the easier it will be for u to do that with Strangers, or friends of friends, and not feel as shy...because remember, 1 & 2, u are already working on ur appearance and your brain, so u don't have as much to be "scared" about.

:) good luck...the more Positive attitude u have (remember, u can Always change something if u make a mistake, u can learn from it, u can always grow, and do something different tomorrow), the more opportunity u will have in ur life. confidence will lead to easier job interviews, class discussions, making friends, getting to know teachers, etc etc.... huge impact on ur life. but getting over ur shyness is the first step, and working on ur confidence will help u become less shy.