Hi! I’m currently an undergraduate in university. I have never thought that I would have trouble speaking since I feel totally normal and even talkative with my close friends, families and even strangers at work (I work part-time at retail).
But for some reason, when I am in school and put in a social situation, i just totally shut down, I start shaking, sweating and overthinking. My mouth just can’t open even though I have already decided what I want to say. I hate this university version of me, I don’t understand what went wrong suddenly. I don’t even dare to say hi to people I know. Even though I understand this is a problem and actively put myself in social situations nothing really changes. I don’t even remember how I used to talk to my older friends. I don’t think anything can really change at this point. I just hope my university life goes by faster.
Hi @cheerystarling4348 ! That sounds really exhausting and confusing, especially because you know you’re capable of being social where you have clear evidence of that in other parts of your life. That gap between who you are with close friends or at work and who you feel like in university must be genuinely frustrating.
What you’re describing, the shaking, sweating, freezing up even when you know what you want to say sounds like it could be situational anxiety, possibly social anxiety that’s specific to this particular environment or context.
I do want to gently push back on one thing you said that nothing can change at this point. That’s the anxiety talking, not reality. The fact that you function well socially in other contexts is actually a really good sign, because it means the underlying ability is there. Anxiety is also one of the most treatable things there is, and situational anxiety especially tends to respond well to the right kind of support.
Does your university have a counselling centre? That would be a low-barrier first step worth considering.