Test Anxiety
Test anxiety is an inordinate or extremely elevated amount of anxiety about taking a test. Most of us experience, at one time or another, anxiety about taking a test. This is healthy and normal. If you spend quite a bit of time worrying or can’t get your mind off the test, you might be experiencing test anxiety. Test anxiety is an unneeded and unwelcome addition to the pressure to do well on the exam.
Some of the symptoms of test anxiety include: difficulty concentrating, negative and self defeating thoughts, racing thoughts, mental blank out, and not being able to recall answers during the exam, but easily being able to come up with them after the test. You may also experience: nausea, cramps, sweating, headaches, increased heart and breathing rates, and dry mouth.
To best deal with test anxiety, there are some steps that you can take to not only better prepare for the exam, which can greatly reduce your anxiety level to begin with, but to also approach the exam in a more positive light, and better deal with any anxiety that does occur during your exam.
The development of effective study habits is of utmost importance. Organization and break down of material to be studied, and time management are essential to properly prepare and enable you to confidently approach your test, greatly lowering your test anxiety. Ensure that you are well prepared for the exam.
Do not go to the text tired or hungry. Make sure you get plenty of rest to help ward off test anxiety, and be sure to eat ahead of time. Get to your exam in a timely fashion, and give yourself plenty of time for each question or problem. Avoid second guessing yourself, wishing you had prepared more, or thinking you are going to fail. Try to relax and be confident.
During your test, read the instructions completely and make sure you understand them. Budget your time and make sure you have enough time to answer all of the questions. If you come on a question and you are not sure of the answer, move on and then come back to it. Don’t panic, and don’t let events in the room, such as noises, or others turning in their exams bother you.
If you do experience anxiety during your exam, try to relax. Realize that you are in control. Take slow deep breaths, and don’t concentrate on any panic or anxiety you are experiencing. Test anxitey can be a habit. Realize where you are in the testing process, and take the next steps required to complete it.
For more information on how to stop anxiety, visit Stop Panic Attacks.
Tags: anxiety, anxiety attacks, panic, panic attacks, test anxiety
4 Steps to End Your Panic Attacks
It’s best to education yourself on successful strategies to end panic attacks. Here are 4 steps you can use to end your panic attacks as soon as you feel one coming on.
When you feel a panic attack starting, the first thing you need to do is acknowledge its presence. This will allow your mind to start taking control instead of letting the fear response take over completely. By acknowledging its presence, you are asserting some power — something that many panic attack sufferers have difficulty doing.
After you have acknowledged the presence of your panic attack, you need to relax. This might seem out of place at this point in time, but it will be a lot easier to do after you have acknowledged your panic attack. At the same time you are relaxing, you need to envision the absolute worst thing that could happen as your panic attack is occurring. Think of the thing you are fearful of and what the worst consequence could be.
You will probably find that the worst consequence is something you CAN handle. Some people’s worst fear will be death. If that it is the consequence you fear the most, you need to switch to using some coping statements instead. You’ll need to remind yourself strongly that no one has ever died from a panic attack. There is absolutely no reason to think that you will die from a panic attack. By facing your worst fear, and using coping statements, you will be able to stop your negative thinking and start feeling a sense of peacefulness where the fear used to be.
This will help you to realize that you are a strong person who can overcome these panic attacks. Accept how you feel and stop trying to win the battle against panic attacks. Thinking of this as a battle immediately puts your defenses up -which is not a good thing when you’re having difficulty coping. Instead, acknowledge your panic attack, see that it is coming on, think of the worst thing that can happen, use your coping statements, and you should be able to more easily get over your panic attacks.
Keep in mind that this exact plan will not work for everyone. However, it will for many sufferers. Put it into practice and even write down the steps so you can pull them out whenever you feel the panic coming on. Soon enough, you may naturally be able to cope, and you’ll have a lot less difficulty with panic attacks.