So here’s my situation: back in middle school I got bullied a lot. Because of my family background, I never really fought back, and I kind of grew into someone who just avoids conflict.
Fast forward to now — I’m in college and I’m actually the class leader. The problem is, this role requires me to deal with conflicts between classmates. But my personality makes me freeze up. Even when I know someone else is clearly in the wrong, I struggle to speak up or push back in the moment.
My instinct is always to stay calm and rational, but sometimes people deliberately provoke or try to take advantage of that, and it feels like rationality just doesn’t work.
Any tips on how I can overcome this fear and handle conflicts better? Especially in a leadership role where I can’t just avoid them.