• Dork World
    • Nikki’s Diary
    • Ask Nikki
    • Ask Brandon
    • Academy
    • What’s New
    • Meet the Author
    • Dork Diaries Books
    • For Teachers
  • Dorky Stuff
    • I Heart Writing
    • Videos
    • Fan Art
    • Games
    • Meet the characters
    • Fan stories
    • Calendars
    • Wallpapers
    • Party Kits
    • music
    • Dorks Around the World
Author:
Rachel Renée Russell

dd14-menu-booktitle

Dork Diaries Book 14

Dork Diaries

#1 New York Times Bestselling Series

JUST FOR YOU!!
Miss Know-it-All's Advice
HOW TO:
Virtual PJ Party
Part 1

HOW TO:
Virtual PJ Party
Part 2

June 1, 2017

I’M NERVOUS ABOUT GOING OUT WITHOUT MY PARENTS

https://dorkdiaries.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Ask-Nikki-Artwork-For-May-31st.mp4

Dear Nikki,

I’ll be going into town with my two very best friends and I can’t wait! But I’m also a little nervous because we’ll be going without parents, and it’ll be the first time I’ve ever done something like that. Will you please give me some tips on how to relax and just have fun? Thank you for your help!

City Jitters

Hi City Jitters,
Ooh, that sounds fun! How cool that you get to do that with your two BFFs! Chloe, Zoey, and I might try that, too. 🙂

So, here’s the thing: if you’re nervous about it, that means you’re thinking about the various things that could happen, and that’s actually a good thing. If you were just wild and careless, a lot more things could likely go wrong. But you’re thoughtful and cautious, so everything should be fine.

Do you have a cell phone? If not, ask if you can use one of your parents’ phones. (They will probably want you to do that anyway.) Then, if anything unexpected happens, you can always call for help. It doesn’t have to be some big emergency, either. If you guys get turned around and need directions, you can call a parent. Even if you just want to say hi, you can call and do that. If this is your first time going off on your own like this, your parents might be kind of worried, too.

It might help to think through what you’re nervous about, if you can. It might just be general butterflies, which is fine. But can you be more specific? Are you worried you’ll get lost? Run out of money? Get chased by zombies (LOL, like THAT will ever happen! 🙂 )?

I don’t want to put a ton of ideas in your head, but whatever it is, think it through. If that thing happens, what will you do? Probably, in most situations, the answer will be call home and/or talk to a nearby adult. (People who are working in shops are a good choice, or older women who look like moms.) Aside from the zombies, every problem you come up with should have a solution. 🙂

So, here are a couple more things to help you keep calm:

If you’re starting to feel a little anxious, take some slow, deep breaths. It seems like a simple thing, but it’s amazing how much breathing can help.

Here’s another trick I learned from a friend who has a lot of anxiety. Wear a hairband on your wrist. It’s better if it’s one of those wide, ribbon hairbands, but a regular one will do the trick. When you’re starting to feel nervous, snap the hairband on your wrist. Not so hard you hurt yourself, but just enough to give your brain something else to focus on. Take some nice, deep breaths while you snap the band a few times, and you should feel better soon.

And finally, I have talked about the Wonder Woman pose in this column before, but it’s too good not to mention. There is actual science that says if you stand for a minute with your legs wide and your hands on your hips, chest thrust out and chin up, it boosts your confidence. For real! You can look this up! So if you need to, duck into a bathroom and summon your inner Wonder Woman before heading back out to meet your friends. Or, if they’re your BFFs, you can tell them exactly what you’re doing, and you can be a trio of kick-butt superheroes together!

I hope you have an amazing time!! 

Do you get nervous about going out without parents around? How do you handle it when you’re feeling anxious?

Next week, I’m going to give you advice on what to do if you find yourself in a REAL emergency situation!

Category: Ask Nikki Tags: BFF, parentsnikki

Comment Guidelines

I’m happy to post your comments (as soon as I can) as long as you follow these 7 rules:

  • All comments MUST be on topic!
  • Comments that either request advice or offer advice will NOT be posted if they are OFF-TOPIC.
  • NO bullying or mean behavior!
  • NO bad language!
  • NEVER share your personal info, including your age!
  • Do NOT share links to other websites or blogs.
  • Make-Up a Silly Name or Post Without a Name (NEVER use your real name!)

Comments

  1. Everyone says

    June 21, 2017 at 8:13 pm

    Nikki gives awesome advice sis! THave lots of fun with your friends and remember to take nikki’s advice☺

  2. Dork Diaries U rule says

    June 21, 2017 at 8:10 pm

    Whenever I’m feeling anxious or something, I usually just breath slowly and think about stuff I like. It works for ME and it’s simple too!☺

  3. KatlynHelpful says

    June 21, 2017 at 5:43 pm

    Oh hi Nikki I wanna tell you something you’re a ADORKABLE Person and 12,213 FOLLOWERS ARE FOLLOWING YAYY

« Older Comments
Top ▲
Ask Nikki Maxwell a question

Freaking out about a problem?

Freaking out about a crush problem? Major drama in school? Bratty little sister driving you crazy? No worries! I’m here to help! Tell me what’s up and I’ll give you the best advice I can. Just ask Chloe and Zoey…I’m awesome at giving advice!! I’ll try to answer a question each week, depending on how much homework I have!

Search

Nikki's Advice

Advice Topics

  • friends
    • BFF
  • crush
  • self-esteem
    • beauty
  • school
    • grades
    • homework
    • teacher
    • writing
  • sports
  • health
  • humiliation
    • bully
  • parents
    • dad
    • mom
  • siblings
    • brother
    • sister
  • Pets

Ask Nikki a Question

    Ask Brandon a question

    Get the boy side of things!

    Nikki Maxwell's diary

    Read Nikki's latest adventure

    Recent Comments

    • Lefty Dork on I NEED TO MAKE SOME MONEY!
    • Lefty Dork on I NEED TO MAKE SOME MONEY!
    • Chole on NEW: PUZZLEPALOOZA!!
    • iPhone wanter on I NEED TO MAKE SOME MONEY!
    • Anonymous on I NEED TO MAKE SOME MONEY!

    WEBSITE MAP

    • What’s New
    • Nikki’s Diary
    • My Books
    • Ask Nikki
    • Meet the Author
    • Ask Brandon
    • Merchandise
    • Videos
    • Fan Art
    • Academy

    BUY THE BOOKS

    • Amazon
    • Powell’s
    • Barnes & Noble
    • Simon & Schuster
    • Books-A-Million
    • Target
    • IndieBound
    • Wal-mart

    DORK DIARIES INTERNATIONAL SITES

  • Brazil
  • Germany
  • Italy
  • Portugal
  • Bulgaria
  • Greece
  • Korea
  • Romania
  • Czech
  • Holland
  • Latvia
  • Taiwan
  • Estonia
  • Hungary
  • Lithuania
  • Turkey
  • France
  • Israel
  • Norway
  • UK
  • Top ▲ · Copyright © 2021 Rachel Renée Russell · The Dork Diaries Series is written by Rachel Renée Russell and published by Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing · Privacy Policy · Terms and Conditions