Being in college is a brand-new world for everyone. The new frontier is scary, which is good, it’s supposed to be.
For a lot of us, it’s intimidating enough just to put yourself out there. So, how do we conquer this? By putting one foot in front of the other and walking to an on-campus hot spot.
Start light and easy, get your butt to the library and study. Not only is the library spacious and comfortable, but it’s also just busy enough to prick at something unpleasant for those of us more sensitive to the masses.
The wonderful thing about the library is that everyone there is too absorbed in their own studies to pay attention to you. Only you are watching yourself, and I can’t be the first to tell you that you’re your own worst critic.
Moving up the difficulty ladder, I challenge you to go to a dining hall. Stop using up all your paw points on Chick-fil-A and Sonic, use your meal swipes. Your mother and I command you.
It may seem silly, but eating at a dining hall as a form of exposure therapy did wonders for acclimating me to the bustling rooms and general swarms of students here at LSU.
There’s also something primal about eating with other people, and more importantly, eating in front of others.
Fellow overthinkers are all too familiar with the awkwardness of eating in front of strangers.
On a basic level, it exposes you to having basic human needs, which is appalling, of course. It also allows for the potential of mess: trust me, there are few things more embarrassing than spilling a drink on yourself at a dining hall.
But once again, the awesome thing about the dining hall is that it has food, and everyone is concerned with themselves. Sure, a spectacle may draw some heads momentarily, but they won’t remember you just like they won’t remember to do their Math 1029 homework.
For the next exposure arena, you must go to the Student Union. It’s a mix of the library and the dining halls, except some freaks, like me, are people watching there. They, in all reality me, look out like hawks for people who look uncomfortable.
Put on your acting pants and fake it till you make it. Fight for a seat, better yet, ask someone if you can sit with them. Force yourself into discomfort and then realize it’s not so bad.
Moving on, I have the hardest challenge due to how intimidating it is: going to the UREC.
Gyms are scary enough on their own for those amongst us who aren’t confident. There’s the fear of looking like a mess, a fool, like someone can smell you’re not a gym-goer and that they’re going to laugh at you.
You may not want to workout, but that doesn’t matter. The UREC has a gym, but it’s not only a gym.
There’s a pool, an arcade, a gaming room: no matter what your interest is, there is a place for you at the UREC. Once again, the best part is that at the UREC, everyone is busy enjoying themselves; it’s a place for fun and self-improvement.
Even if you make a mistake, it doesn’t matter because everyone there has been where you are.
You may have noticed a common theme. Despite how anxiety-inducing these places can be, for the most part, no one is really paying attention to you.
The best way to conquer your social anxiety is to realize that, for most people, you are a drop of water in the ocean. With practice, each outing gets easier, and then you can guide others to be more open.
Go out there, tiger.
Garrett McEntee is a 19-year-old English sophomore from Benton, La.
