Mind Over Monsters: Helping Students Face Their Fears and Build Confidence

As someone who has taught public speaking classes for many years, I know how much negative self talk, self doubt, anxiety, and other ‘monsters’ can hold students back. It’s one thing for many students to wonder if they can handle college, life, family, and a job all at the same time, but to put yourself out there when presenting speeches takes it to another level. Here’s the truth though- every person (it doesn’t matter who you are) has the ability to face their fears and learn to manage them, in any and all aspects of college and life. 

The book Mind Over Monsters by Sarah Rose Cavanagh was actually gifted to me and a few other instructors at a work meeting a couple of years ago, and the ideas are similar to those from the book The Upside of Stress (a great book by Kelly McGonigal that I’ve blogged about before). The idea is that you can’t let the ‘monsters’ win, it’s up to you to take charge and change your mindset. 

The book Mind Over Monsters aims at helping young people face fears, self-doubt, and negative thinking patterns by reframing them as “monsters” that can be understood and managed rather than avoided.

The central idea that Cavanagh presents is that everyone has internal “monsters”—like fear of failure, comparison, or anxiety—but these don’t have to control your actions. Instead, with awareness and the right mindset, you can take charge.

Here are 3 key takeaways that I’d like for my students to keep in mind (especially if you don’t plan to read the book):

First, name your monsters. When you identify what’s holding you back, like fear of judgment or perfectionism, it becomes less overwhelming. Awareness creates distance and clarity.

Second, your thoughts aren’t always facts. The book teaches that negative self-talk can feel true but is often exaggerated or unhelpful. Learning to question these thoughts helps build confidence and resilience, which can be so crucial for college students. 

Third, take small, consistent action. Courage isn’t about eliminating fear; it’s about moving forward despite it (this is especially true in public speaking!). Even small steps—raising your hand, trying something new—help weaken those “monsters” over time.

Overall, the book encourages young people to build mental strength, practice self-awareness, and realize they have more control over their mindset than they think.

I know it’s easier said than done, but we all have monsters, and at the end of the day the people who continue to make progress aren’t the one who happen to be lucky, or naturally fearless and confident, it’s the people who are willing to push through. 

As the famous Mark Twain quote says ‘Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear.’

Happy growing and learning!