Fear of Judgement

Do you ever hold back because you're worried what people will think?

Maybe you overthink what to say, avoid speaking up, replay conversations afterwards, or find new social situations harder than you’d like.

Try Anyway is a new community for young adults who want to feel freer around other people.

Our first evening is about fear of judgement. We’ll explore why it can have such a strong grip on us, then try a few simple guided exercises designed to help us notice what we predict other people will think and what actually happens when we take a small social risk.

The evening will include:
• a short introduction to how fear of judgement works
• guided exercises in pairs and small groups
• opportunities to practise doing something that might normally feel uncomfortable
• time to reflect on what you noticed

You won’t be forced to share anything you don’t want to, and there’s no expectation that you need to feel confident or comfortable walking in. In fact, feeling a bit nervous about coming is very much allowed.

This first event is aimed primarily at London university students. It may resonate if you sometimes find yourself holding back socially because you’re worried about how you’ll come across.

### Why we’re doing this

We both went through education and professional life with background anxieties that took us years to properly recognise. We know some version of what it’s like to look capable from the outside while still overthinking interactions or worrying about how you’re being perceived.
Mandana Ahmadi is a computational neuroscientist and founder of Alena, a mental-health company that developed and clinically tested interventions for social anxiety.
Bertie Hubbard founded MyTutor, which became the UK’s largest online tutoring platform, and has spent much of his career building products and experiences for students and young adults.
We’re now exploring whether there’s a better way to help people understand these patterns, practise through them with others, and feel more connected in real life.
This is our first event, so we’re keeping the group small. We’ll also have a second event planned shortly afterwards for anyone who wants to continue.

Tuesday, 6pm
King’s Cross, London
Exact venue to follow.