Okay, here’s my attempt at a blog post, following your instructions and example:
Alright, so today I tackled this thing called “exposure therapy” – I saw it mentioned in some AP Psychology definition and got curious. I’ve always had this, like, thing about public speaking. My heart races, my palms sweat… the whole nine yards. It’s super annoying.
So, I figured, why not give this exposure thing a shot? The basic idea, from what I gathered, is that you gradually expose yourself to the thing you fear. You start small and work your way up.
My “Exposure Therapy” Experiment
- Step 1: The Baby Step. I decided to start by just imagining myself giving a speech. I sat in my chair, closed my eyes, and pictured a small audience. Even that got my heart going a little! I did this for, like, 5 minutes. Felt kinda silly, but hey, it’s a start.
- Step 2: Talking to Myself. Next, I practiced a short presentation in front of the mirror. I pretended I was explaining something simple, like how to make a sandwich. I stumbled over my words a few times, but it wasn’t too bad. I made myself do it for about 10 minutes, even though I felt like an idiot.
- Step 3:The real test I recorded myself giving a short talk on my phone. Watching it back was CRINGE. I looked nervous, I sounded shaky… but, I did it. And I didn’t die. Small victories! I made the video about 2 minutes long. I watched my video about my fear.
- Step 4: The “Real” Audience (Sort Of). I made my roommate to listen to me to give a quick summary of a book I read recently. I was definitely nervous, but it was way easier than I expected. I even managed to make eye contact a few times! We even chatted about it afterward, and it felt… normal.
Honestly, I feel like I’ve only scratched the surface. I’m not suddenly a public speaking champion, but I do feel a little less terrified. The idea of gradually facing my fear, instead of avoiding it altogether, actually seems to make sense. It’s like, I’m slowly teaching my brain that it doesn’t need to freak out so much. I should have started with this method before.
I’m planning to keep working at this. Maybe next I’ll try talking to a small group of friends, or even joining a Toastmasters club (yikes!). We’ll see. But for now, I’m calling this a win. Baby steps, people, baby steps.
