Exam Boot Camp

Day 4 – Managing Anxiety and Stress

IntroductionDay 1 - Organization &

Time ManagementDay 2 - Effective Study SkillsDay 3 - Test Taking

StrategiesDay 4 - Managing Anxiety

and Stress

What is Test Anxiety??

Positive and/or negative feelings that consume your thinking, emotions, and actions before, during and after taking school exams, quizzes, and important.

Yes, it can be Positive as well as Negative

thoughts!!

What does anxiety/stress feel like??

• Pressure• Stress• Headache• Overwhelm-ness• Uncertainity• Nervousness

• Anxiousness• Confusion• “Gas”• Excitement• Butterflies

DO YOU HAVE TEST ANXIETY???

Answer YES or NO to the following questions.

Do You Experience This...

1. You have trouble sleeping at night and spend those last few nights before sleep worrying about upcoming exams or projects.

Do You Experience This...

2. The day of an exam, you experience drastic appetite changes and either overeat, or skip breakfast and lunch.

Do You Experience This...

3. While studying for or taking an exam, you often feel a sense of hopelessness or dread.

Do You Experience This...

4. You often yawn during an exam or while studying.

Do You Experience This...

5. While studying or taking an exam, you have problems concentrating and you sometimes feel bored or tired.

Do You Experience This...

6. During an exam, you often feel confused or panic.

Do You Experience This...

7. During an exam, you experience sweaty palms, mental blocks.

Do You Experience This...

7.25 While taking an exam, you sometimes experience headaches, vomiting, or fainting.

Do You Experience This...

* After the exam, you pretend the exam meant nothing to you, and discard the result as meaningless.

Do You Experience This...

**When finished with your exam, you sometimes feel guilt and blame yourself for not studying enough. “My Fault”!

Do You Experience This...

**** As a general rule, you view test taking as a stressful situation and dread it.

Assess yourselfWhen thinking about a test situation, how would you rate your level of anxiety?

1 10very calm very

anxious

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Should you eliminate stress?

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NO

Managing Anxiety

A certain amount of tension can be helpful to let you perform at your optimal level. Very low stress may lead to apathy. Very high may cause perceived ‘blanking’ on tests. Need to learn to balance

Anxious students have harder times concentrating, waste time on worrying thoughts and negative self-talk

SOME STRESS IS GOOD

Stress and Performance

Performance

Level of Stress

Optimal performance

Ch.11

The Z

one

Dealing with Test Anxiety

• Thought stopping – internally yell ‘stop’ at anxious/irrational thoughts. Shift attention back to the now.

• If mind has gone blank – you have been focusing on the wrong things. Close you eyes, take a breath and try again.

• Visualize success – concentrate on what you do know, assume that you do know it and that you will do well.

• Focus – (not worry things) – a cute guy, the feel of the desk.• Praise yourself – treat yourself as a friend - what would you say• Consider the worst – make it absurd• Breathe – control the physical symptoms of anxiety

Ch.11

Managing Test Anxiety

Strategies for better test performance

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3 Strategies

• Change Your Thinking• Relaxation Techniques• Effective Study Techniques

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Changing your thinking• recognize and change

unhealthy thoughts and attitudes

• reduce stress and its physical symptoms

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Negative self-talk

• Selective abstraction• Overgeneralization• The “all-or-nothing” approach• Self-labeling

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We all talk to ourselves

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So, how can you changethe way you think?

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How could you change this statement? • I have to get a 70 on this exam.

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How does this sound? I know that I’ve done my best to study. If I

put too much pressure on myself it can backfire so, as much as I want a 70, all I can do is my best.

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Relaxation Techniques

• Deep Breathing• Progressive Relaxation• Mind Vacations

• Dealing with distractions

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Deep Breathing• Inhale for a slow

count of 6 and exhale for a slow count of 8.

• Concentrate on breathing in relaxation with each inhale, and visualize blowing out tension with each exhale.

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Progressive Relaxation

• Slowly and deliberately relax each muscle in our body

• 5 to 20 minutes to calm and soothe the body

• Practice

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Mind Vacations (Also known as visual

imagery)

• Visualize• Picture• Deep breathing• Imagine

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xNSXtkFBDk&feature=relatedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0CkYqNjSpg

Deal with distractions

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• Don’t talk to others

• Visual = near the front of the room

• Auditory = wear earplugs

• Practice positive self-talk

• Practice relaxation techniques– Deep breathing– Progressive

relaxation– Mind vacations