My name is Brittany Newell. I am in my last semester here at the University at Albany, as a graduating senior. From the outside looking in, I am probably what people would consider the “typical college student”. I get decent grades, I am pretty involved in organizations, I go to parties occasionally, and I pretty much don’t have any part of life figured out just yet. But one thing that has been hidden underneath the surface is my nerves, or my “anxiety”.
When I was younger, I always noticed that whenever it came to certain activities, tasks, or challenges that I would make me the center of attention, I would shy away from it. This immense feeling of dread would surface up from the pit of my stomach and would get so bad that my breathing would get shaky and my head would start to spin. At this point, this feeling would only make itself known during in-class examinations, sporting competitions, and even while doing things like speaking in class. While this feeling has subsided in some ways over time, it has been present in more important tasks like job interviews, group presentations, driving a car, standing in front of large crowds, and yes, even now, sometimes speaking in class.
As more time passed, I found myself using this as an excuse not to do certain things that I’ve always wanted to do while being here at the University at Albany; like try out for a dance team, or an intramural sport, or a fashion show, or even something as simple as writing for this very blog you are currently reading.
Nonetheless, with this being my fourth year here, I’ve been pondering what types of things I want to do in my last semester in college and all I could think about was what I didn’t want to do. I didn’t want to fall victim to my nerves or anxiety. I didn’t want to let certain opportunities pass me by just because I was too afraid to go for them. I wanted to feel confident in my abilities, trust my knowledge, feel certain of my strengths and use those things to propel me forward in life. To help me succeed, to help me breathe, and to help me rise to the occasion and challenge myself to do just a little bit more than I have before. This is where you, as my lovely readers, come in.
My plan and purpose for this blog, is not only to inspire myself to put myself out there more, but to inspire and even help you do the same. I’m sure everyone, at some point in their lives, has probably felt anxious or nervous for some reason or another, and maybe while stumbling across my blog, you will not only learn to not to feel alone, but also gather some great resources to help you out along the way. I will be touching upon a broad range of topics such as student involvement, career and internship searching, interviewing skills, body image awareness and the overall importance of mental health.
So you are officially invited to come and join my journey. This blog is my attempt at being a little more brave, a little more bold, and a little bit more me. Hopefully you will feel a little more you, too.
Please Note: The views of our student bloggers do not necessarily reflect the views of the UAlbany Advisement Services Center. These are their stories and their voices.
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Welcome to the Peer Advisor Blog 
Love the honesty, great work Brittany!!
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