Getting through school

[mattbarneswillkillu]

Hey! haven't posted in a long while. I hope you all have found the cure while I was away, but if not no worries.

Anyways I'm headed back to school(in august), a new school, and I want to approach this the right way this time. The school is not in my home state so basically i'll have a fresh start. I have facial HH socially, mostly around cute girls or in group presentations.

Any suggestions? experiences? tips on what did/didn't work. Thanks.

 

[Etbow23]

It can be really difficult to fit in at school when you have social anxiety..especially with group activities and presentations...

I would just suggest to be open and friendly with people, and try to find someone who you like talking to

Try joining an honors society, for example, or be nice with people in class.

 

[Sprawling]

Hide? couldn't resist. I think you know the answer to your own question. We have NO perfect solutions, so just do your best, enjoy school, enjoy the woman and be honest with those whom you meet who want to know more about your condition.

 

[mattbarneswillkillu]

Sprawling, yeah your right I probably already know. Basically just wanted to say hey to the people that stuck around. Is Mozzart still active?

 

[hyp-hi]

I would say, try to focus on the academics and not the people. I know when I was in school, I was so worried about what other people would think, I couldn't concentrate on my studies. You have made it this far with success so you can do it again this year.

 

[Soy Sauce]

All I can suggest is glycoppyrolate (Avert, etc.) as a sure way to prevent sweating when you know you're going to do presentations or be in social situations, but of course there are the side effects and the fact that it only lasts around 6hrs, etc.

I know some of the iontophoresis equipment manufacturers make attachments for faciall HH, but I've never read any reviews by users as to whether or not it works or how well. That may be an option.

Also, Lakers suck donkey balls and the Heat will win it all this year. Or OKC. I'd even rather SAS win it then LA. I'm glad Barnes changed his hair. I hate him a little less for that.

 

[mattbarneswillkillu]

AHAHAHAHHA Soy Sauce. Yeah The Lakers don't suck, but they won't win simply because coach Mike Brown doesn't have control of the team. Nobody listens to him and they don't even run his offense. Did you see Bynum take a 3 yesterday. He was all smiles after he was subbed out.

Anyways yeah, Thanks for all the advice. I'm hearing business school is all individual or group presentations. Then they say networking w/ students, professors, alumni is key...and thats the last thing i want to do lol. Any1 been thru this?

 

[Jezza]

Hi there,

The good and the bad news is, there's not all that much you can do, so try not to worry about it. I think making a bunch of friends should never be a problem. As for the ladies that's a bit more tricky as the HH is going to play a negative role no matter what. How negative is really up to the chica involved. For me, one night flings are sadly pretty much out of the question -just too much awkwardness to explain away in too little time- and I think this holds true for most HH sufferers (and really, probably for the biggest part of all humans cause what % of people really can and want to have ONSs anyway), so your best bet is just find a good woman that you genuinely want to spend some more quality time with and who happens to enjoy your company as well.

I completely get the women problem, in the end it's probably the worst thing about this affliction and it's sure causing me a lot of stress too. Some HH sufferers say they've had no problems with it but I always have this terrible feeling I owe women to tell them right off the bat ay, I have HH you know, just cause they build up a picture of you based on initial appearances and then the HH is kind of a letdown. I know it's silly but still it feels like leading them on knowing you can't completely 'deliver' what they expect (due to the HH that is, leave the jokes please ). I guess it's a bit of anxiety caused by the HH.

 

[mattbarneswillkillu]

Thanks Jezza. For me, i'm not really the one-night type so that doesnt really bother me. In fact i'm not even looking, nor do i care to get in a relationship right now...but you never know. I really liked this girl @ my last school and all was well,then I graduated. It was the(my) perfect situation. I love basketball more than most things in life and so did she. We played 6 out of 7 days a week (no joke), and it was my ideal setting because sweating is appropriate there. That's probably the reason I didn't feel I had to let her know about the HH out of the gate. Anyways sucks that that's over, and we didn't get to that point where i'd consider long distance.

More than anything I want to do well academically, thing is, i've gotten by thus far w/ the least amount of participation imaginable. I'm the guy that sits at the back and never says anything. I'm confident in my ideas just not confident that I could express them without a hand-held fan, towel, bag if ice, and a mop. If anything it should be interesting, i'm excited.

 

[Diend]

What I lacked in high school was my own purpose. Be a leader, not a follower?

 

[mattbarneswillkillu]

Yeah purpose is a big one. I wandered through most of college w/out 1. Still not completely sure of what I want to do but I have a better feel, or maybe i've nailed down a general direction at least.

 

[Sprawling]

Truth is, you may never truly find your purpose or your purpose may come later in life. Just concentrate on being the best damn you that you can be. Whatever that purpose is do it, for you'll see that it all changes in time.

 

[Soy Sauce]

Yeah that 3 was funny. Even after, Bynum said he's gonna keep shooting 3's lol. We all know Kobe's the real coach lol.

They call me Soy Sauce cuz I'm the Asian version of Hot Sauce lol. Ok not really but my one buddy still calls me that. I wore it on the back of my shirt at one tournament as a joke lol

You're lucky in a way, being that you ball, that you don't have sweaty palms like me. Playing with really sweaty hands sucks cuz I lose my handle or slips off my fingers when I shoot. Then when my hands are totally dry, it's weird and throws my shot off lol. It sucks.

Confidence goes a long way. If social situations are a real trigger for your HH, I think you can improve your sweating outbursts over time as your confidence grows. It'll be hard, but perserverance is the key. If you use avert during presentations, just make sure you have plenty of water on hand! Good luck man.

 

[mattbarneswillkillu]

Hahaha Soy Sauce! thats too funny, I miss And1. I remember when everyone on the street was trying to be like hot sauce or AO... Those were the days. And yeah I couldn't imagine playing w/ wet hands, but my shirt gets drenched and people don't want to have contact, or they're like wtf when they do. It doesn't bother me because i'm a shooter/ I play in a way where I don't have to have contact.

Hey Avert users have you tried "Colgate Dry Mouth Relief". It takes away 100% of the dry/cotton throat feeling when you take avert/robinul.

Thanks man, i've been trying to work on my confidence lately. I'm engaging in more convo's than ever at the gym because every1 is sweaty anyway and I think it's working! But now that I think about most of the people I associate myself w/ are from athletic environments. Thats were i feel most at ease so it's a win-win.

 

[margiehope]

Jeez. I developed HH quite late. At school? Yeah, I was teaching. Didn't discover glyco until after I left--great fun standing in front of a class with sweat dripping down, keeping a face cloth near. But you know, I did it--you just brazen it out. Still, I wish I'd had glyco then, and am glad I have it now. Take the least I can--which can vary depending on weather and level of activity--but bless it every day of my life.

 

[Jezza]

w00t. I'm also kinda into basketball. I'm in the Netherlands though so unfortunately the NBA isn't really shown here on TV. Anyway, friend of mine kinda got me into it (dude was/is a big AI fan) and we used to play on a street court with some guys on weekends for years. Still sometimes do though a few 'regulars' have moved to other areas. It's true that the sweating is kinda ok on the court. It's still not normal or like how other people sweat, but it's not the worst situation for HH. I usually wear one of those synthethic adidas shirts that feel nice and really work wonders wicking the sweat away (I'll still sweat like crazy of course, especially when it gets a little warmer outside, but at least with these shirts it doesn't stick or get completely drenched all over).

Still trying to learn how to dunk. I'm 6'3" but like Woody Harrelson I'm not an exceptional jumper, so I'm very close but haven't quite made it yet. I can jump grab and hang from the rim from a standstill but I guess I haven't got the technique down yet. It also doesn't help that my hands are just a little too small to hold the ball comfortably in one hand while jumping. Should really put some effort in before I'm too old and my muscles go down I guess

 

[mattbarneswillkillu]

@ Margie - Wow idk you stood/stand infront of audiences or students for a living. Thats amazing, and it gives me motivation i guess. Margie how do you advise your students to practice on speeches or public speaking? I was looking online and some people say that speaking in front a mirror helps, others suggest reading aloud to yourself, i'm sure they're both helpful but what do you recommend?

Jezza, yeah the moisture-wicking shirts are an absolute MUST! Today I actually picked up an inexpensive shirt (7.99) made by "Layer 8" from Marshalls. It was soooo comfortable. I sweat a lot, like most of us, but the shirt hid it very well. I played basketball hard today for about 3 hours and the shirt only got damp, not wet. After I finished the shirt was completely dry within about 10-15 minutes.

Don't be lured into the Nike or high end brand traps, sure they make good products but you can find similar ones for much cheaper that work as well or better. I'm going to get about 4 more, they have all different colors.

 

[Sprawling]

Another trick is to use Scotch Guard on your shirts. This will make the water bead off.

 

[margiehope]

Hey Matt,
To be honest I was always scared to death giving presentations when I went to school. Having to stand in front of people every day makes it easier.
Advice? First, know your stuff fairly well. The best idea is to try to think of your audience more than yourself. You have good ideas, right? So just tell them.
The other thing I used to say to my students (I am happily retired now) was: What's the worst thing that can happen to you?
To review: know what you want to say, and act like you want to say it to your audience. They mostly wish you well (that's if they're even listening!)

 

[mattbarneswillkillu]

Got ya. thanks Margie. Hey does anyone find that their mind wanders when they are talking? I was in a conversation today and I was storytelling about my life and my experiences....anyways I got distracted and I started to think to myself, am I talking to much? Then my words got all mixed up, and I couldn't help but think that they were probably bored although I know, or feel what I had to say was interesting. I'm not the talkative type most of the time but i'm starting to open up more just to see what all the social hype is about (overrated). Anyways my thoughts clouded my mind and I paused for a brief second and I wanted to just walk away and leave, not because I was embarrassed just because my mind was elsewhere. anyone else get this or feel similarly? I think this is why my presentations suffer, because my mind drifts...