Annie (AKA Hey Terra!) has been around long enough to have experienced a lot of what Life can dish out. But, it hasn’t been so long that she's forgotten what it's like to be your age. Check out some of the thousands of email questions teens from around the world have sent to Terra. You may learn something useful from her answers:
“I don't have too many friends.”
(Continued)
Hey Terra,
I have everything that I want to say in my head, ready to be packaged and delivered. But sometimes I just get so nervous when everyone turns to look at me. I start to talk, but then when I see all the faces turning to me, I start to stutter. And I don't really look at my friends when I am talking because I feel so "in the center of attention."Shy
Dear Shy,
I'm sure what you have to say is brilliant. I can tell you're very intelligent by the way you express yourself. So try taking a couple of slow deep breaths to calm yourself down before you speak. You can do this! Your friends will support you. So you've got a "friendly" audience.
Practice breathing and you'll calm down.
In friendship,
Terra
Need some advice? Write to Terra.
She'll give you a straight answer you can trust without any lectures.