Average

When your teacher publicly insulted and shamed you, your response was a way of trying to protect you from further harm. It seems like this was very emotionally painful, which is very understandable. Teachers are in a position of authority, and their actions and words matter more to younger and more vulnerable students. What they said was very invalidating of your efforts and a violation of respect and safety.

The physical symptoms you describe can be a sign that your mind and body are struggling with the impact of your teacher’s words and perhaps the increased pressure of wanting to succeed paired with the fear that this may be out of reach is also suffocating. It can be challenging to soothe both the mind and body if it feels threatened or out of control, but traditional methods including grounding (many examples exist online such as looking for five things you can touch), deep breathing (box breathing or other methods work and can be found online), or visualization (imagine being in a safe space in your mind).

I will end this by saying that you are not defined by this teacher’s comments. You deserve respect and support rather than insults and shaming.