Understanding Anxiety

When stressed, we begin to lose the ability to connect pertinent ideas that is so innate to focused mode.

A little bit of stress allows us to perform at our peak, but too much stress inhibits our ability to think clearly. This is why the brain doesn’t work quite right when we are angry or afraid. Thus, the idea of taking a break when frustrated is grounded in factual evidence. (Examined Existence, 2015)

The anticipation of negative situations creates threatening thoughts and images that can significantly increase anxiety. The experience of anxiety is often more distressing than the anticipated event. (Pittman & Karle, 2015)

The methods discussed in the other sections of this page will help avoid getting to a point of uncontrollable anxiety because you have incorporated good study habits and therefore do not possess illussions of competence but actually are competent. You have also avoided procrastination and allowed time for your brain to switch between focus and diffuse mode developing the abiility for recall in a number of applications and scenarios. You did not cram for the exam.

If you still experience some anxiety, especially before a test, here are some ways that may help you deal with it.

1. Maintain an optimistic attitude. You will do well because you prepared yourself using the helpful techniques and habits.
2. Interpret the symptoms (sweaty palms, a racing heart and a knot in the stomach) by telling yourself a story. Instead of “this test has made me afraid”, think “this test has gotten me excited to do my best”.
3. Turn you attention to your breathing. Relax your stomach, place your hand on it, and slowly draw a deep breath. Your hand should move out, even as your whole chest is moving outward. This sends oxygen to critical areas of your brain. Practice the technique weeks before the test.
4. Mindfulness – reframe your reaction to intrusive thoughts vs trying to suppress them. “I have a big test next week”…intrusive thought: “If I flunk the test, I will wash out of the program, and I’m not sure what I will do then!”
5. Blink, shift your attention, and then double check your answer to see if it makes sense. Check your answer from a different perspective. Check your test from back to front.

If you haven’t prepared well or gotten a good night’s sleep, then all bets are off.