How to Breathe When Feeling Stressed
Tests are stressful, right? Complicated high-stakes tests can certainly be stressful, in the way that any influential moments in our lives demanding peak performance can be stressful. Unfortunately, anxiety impedes performance, which means many people freak out at exactly the moment they should remain calm and in control. What should you do when test anxiety strikes? First, consider objectively how ready you are for the task at hand. Find comfort in the fact that you prepared for the test you are taking. If you didn’t prepare, on the other hand, you have every reason to be nervous! Next, consider your options for stress relief. Some find solace in writing out their anxieties or adopting a power pose. Just knowing a variety of sophisticated ways to combat anxiety can alleviate it, but don’t overlook one of the most basic strategies: breathing. How is breathing linked to stress? Anxiety, according to Healthline,…
It All Comes Down to One Day… or Not
American culture seems to celebrate the lucky break, the stroke of good fortune, the against-all-odds moment that turns certain defeat to sweet victory. Many dreamers eschew the hard work, confident that one epic act or second of serendipity can change everything for the better. No wonder casinos and lotteries are so popular! Yet, at the same time, we collectively revere those with a body of work, those who have proven their excellence again and again. One-hit wonders might enjoy momentary popularity, but we obsess over the question of the G.O.A.T., as in “Who is the greatest of all time?” Where in this spectrum of ephemeral to enduring success do tests like the SAT and ACT fit in? Critics have cried for decades over how much importance seems to be placed on a single morning of testing, as if a teen’s entire future depended on just the September ACT. Students in…
Rate Your Pain to Make It Wane
“Making it wane” sounds like a really immature way to describe a really immature act, but if you can get past that, you’ve got the only proper way to deal with stress. Obviously, when engaged in a high pressure task like standardized testing, we don’t want to allow stress to escalate, triggering a cascade of failure. We should also strive for more than the status quo when our status screams “Freaking out!” The way to win is to reduce your response to stress in the moment until you’ve achieved the optimal level of performance. The trick, then, is mastering an arsenal of stress-management strategies. One effective method is to rate your anxiety, then see if you can get that number lower: Anxiety is not an all–or–nothing condition; it exists on a continuum. When you’re feeling anxious, rate your anxiety on a scale from 0 to 10, with 0 being completely…
Test Anxiety: Taming the Beast
Since test anxiety occurs at both a biological and cognitive level, developing ways to manage both levels of symptoms is the best path to effectively managing test anxiety. The good news is that biological and cognitive processes tend to work together, so any effort put towards managing one set of symptoms will have a positive effect on both. Practice these techniques before going into an exam (and even during an exam if need be), and with time, you will begin to tame the beast and regain control over your academic performance. Managing Physical Symptoms Breathe Simply focusing on your breathing can decrease stress. An effective technique called diaphragmatic breathing can instantly lower your anxiety level. Breathe in through your nose for 4 seconds, hold it for 2 seconds, then breathe out of your mouth for 4 seconds. Repeat 5 times and see if you notice a change in your…
Test Anxiety: How the Beast is Born
Test anxiety is not a mental illness nor are people born with this affliction. Instead, test anxiety is a learned behavior. The goods news is that people can unlearn this debilitating response to test-taking. Research identifies two forms of test anxiety: somatic (what happens biologically) and cognitive (what happens mentally). Most people experience both simultaneously, creating a perfect storm of nerves and panic. Thoughts feed stress hormones which cause these hormones to surge through the body and vice versa. While some students may be genetically predisposed to higher arousal levels which induce anxiety, others are fueling this biochemical mind-storm with their thoughts alone. The Anxiety and Depression Association of America cite the following thought patterns as precursors to test anxiety: Fear of failure: While the pressure to perform can act as a motivator, it can also be devastating to individuals who tie their self-worth to the outcome of a test.…
Test Anxiety: An Unruly Beast
Imagine studying for hours on end, fully preparing for an exam, and feeling confident about knowing all the required information only to sit down to take the exam and forgetting everything that you know. The moment the teacher begins distributing the exam, your heart starts racing, your mind draws a blank, and out of nowhere, intense fear paralyzes you. If you have experienced this before, you may have test anxiety. Test anxiety is a serious problem and, for those who have succumbed to it, an incredibly frustrating experience. According to the American Test Anxieties Association, 16-20% of students today experience test anxiety. That’s quite a high prevalence, but hardly surprising when you consider the stress that millennials are under. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, the symptoms of test anxiety in children and teens include the following: Physical symptoms: Headaches, nausea, diarrhea, excessive sweating, shortness of breath,…