I have social anxiety and having hard time in public speaking. But, extra curricular activities are part of the school. I am anxious. How to deal with this?

Can you take a class in public speaking at school? I also had social anxiety and managed to be involved in many different activities (usually I took up backstage roles). The key is to focus on the activities that you like to do and downplay the social aspect if it's not something you're very into, and you'll be fine. Have fun and people will come around to you!

I understand. I am a university student and I have to hold a presentation in a couple of days. It can be really frightening to have to speak in front of strangers about something you don't even necessarily like. Sometimes I fell like I am going to "mess up" and just freeze in place or forget what I was talking about. Another one of my fears is that I might discover a mistake that I did when preparing the presentation and everybody notices it. What do you think are your fears? What do you think is the worst that can happen? What exactly causes anxiety to you about public speaking? In what way can you improve yourself in those areas?

First of all, try to accept yourself as you are. We all have different strengths and weaknesses, and you surely have a multitude of talents someone else is trying to get. Second, try to acknowledge your struggles to yourself with compassion. Maybe imagine that it is not you, but your inner child that is struggling. Talk to that child in a way you would a niece or sister. Would you berate them or make them feel bad and insufficient? Third, acknowledge it to the world. Tell people you are struggling, and seek the kind of help that makes sense to you. Online counseling, meditation guides, real-life face-to-face help, or perhaps a book on social anxiety. There is a wealth of resources out there waiting for you to discover them. Good luck!

For a person dealing with anxiety, there are some relaxation techniques that can be practiced to reduce the anxiety. Relaxation techniques can include deep breathing exercises. Someone, with a specific fear of speaking in front of others, can practice their speech alone a number of times until they feel confident to speak in front of their most trusted person. The number of people can be further increased such as, delivering a speech in from of the family. The person can further practice delivering a speech on the stage when there is no one around. This helps to gain confidence and practice thoroughly to reduce anxiety.