At school, I always find myself raising my hand when a teacher asks a question and I can't help myself. Sometimes I don't even know the answer and have to think about it when I get called on. I just can’t control it. This has lead me to places I don't want to be, like when I volunteer to be the presenter in group projects.
I want to stop myself from fidgeting in class and raising my hand. Do you have any tips?
Hey there, girly! I know fighting habits can be super hard. I’m working with a physical therapist right now to fix posture problems, and let me tell ya, it’s tough! But there’s good news, chica. With some work, you can nix your habit in no time.
Self-check
First off, your habit really isn’t that bad. It’s great that you participate and pay attention in class, so keep up the good work! But like you said, you don’t wanna raise your hand if you don’t know the answer. Plus, you’ve gotta share the wealth with your classmates too.
I’ve found the most important thing about stopping an ol’ habit is just keeping it in mind…a lot. It really takes active thought and increased awareness about exactly what you’re doing. When you’re in class, keep checking up on yourself and train yourself to think BEFORE you raise your hand. Where are your hands now? Do you know the answer to the question? If you do, great! If not, remind yourself to keep that hand down.
Try to be not so handy
On top of mentally prepping yourself, try some other ideas too. Maybe you can tuck your hands under your legs or fold your hands in your lap when you’re sitting so that they don’t fly up before you can stop and think. Or, try limiting yourself to a certain number of hand raises per class (say, 4 or 5?). If you have any other ideas, def try ‘em out. You may stumble upon something that works perf for you.
It will take some work, but I know with a bit of effort and determination, you can def stop this habit.
Good luck!
Kristen Y. <3