What is Anxiety?

Anxiety is the feeling of agitation

and distress you experience when

you are faced with a challenge such

as performing on stage, competing

in an athletic event or taking an exam .

What is Exam Anxiety?

excessive worrying about upcoming exams fear of being evaluated apprehension about the consequences it is not age-specific- it usually occurs in the
age-group of 10 yrs and above.

There Are Two Types Of Exam Anxiety:

Anticipatory: Feeling of distress occurring while studying for or thinking about the exam. Intense worry, tension, disturbed sleep, uneasiness and agitation in the lead up to exams.

Situational:
Feeling of distress occurring while taking the exam. Feeling

anxious in the exam, going blank or being unable to recall

information that you know , having difficulty breathing or panicking when you dont know the answer to a question.

Exam anxiety occurs in a wave so it will increase from when you first recognize it, come to a peak, and then subside.
Peak

What causes Exam Anxiety?

Lack of preparation , poor study habits ,cramming the night before exam ,poor time management. Past experiences of blanking out or performing badly on exams.

Focusing too much on the outcome.

Focusing too much on how other classmates and friends are doing. Issues outside of school distracting you from studying for or concentrating on exam.

Why do Exams seem especially stressful?

They are time limited. Less time to plan, write, edit and check your work. They require recall of large amounts of information. We usually worry that we wont remember under pressure.

How does Exam Anxiety affect you?

Exam Anxiety affects you in three ways:
Physiologically Behaviourally

Psychologically

Physiological Symptoms
increased heartbeat tensed muscles perspiration dry mouth sweaty palms headache nausea feeling too hot or too cold sleep disturbances changes in appetite backache, cervical ache fast, shallow breathing frequent urge to urinate cold and other respiratory infections

Behavioural Symptoms
Inability to make decisions, act, or express yourself. Difficulty reading and understanding questions on an exam. Difficulty organizing your thoughts. Difficulty recalling or retrieving terms and concepts. Alcohol abuse , smoking or drug abuse Abuse of over the counter medications( antidepressants) Eating disorders Relationship issues/peer pressure

Psychological Symptoms
Feeling apprehensive or uneasy. Feeling upset. Having self-doubt or negative self-talk. Crying easily Feeling irritable Getting frustrated quickly, aggression Withdrawn or restless Low self-esteem Depression/sadness Inability to concentrate Increased risk of self-harm

Preparing for the Exam

Organize your course material and supplies
Start your revision early Break studying down into sections Think about the most important topics and what questions might be asked

Choose a quiet and comfortable place to study

Connect with your classmates. Discuss what you learn. Chart and Review your progress. Drink plenty of water. Develop healthy eating habits.

Before the Exam

Make sure you have prepared by studying Bring the supplies you need to write the exam Make sure you are well rested and well fed Relax your body and mind by using anxiety management techniques Avoid other anxious students Avoid any last minute review of notes Go to the exam centre a little early

Before the Exam.

Change negative self-talk into positive self-talk. For example, if the voice in your head says: Ive never been good at Maths. Im going to fail this exam! Change it to: Maths is not my best subject but if I practice and ask questions, Ill be okay. Keep in mind that one exam is unlikely to make or break your whole future. If issues outside of school distract you, jot them down on a piece of paper so you can come back to deal with them later.

RELAX !
Learn stress releasing strategies that you can use in and out of the exam situation. Practice the techniques so they become easy to use.

The time to relax is when you dont have time for it.
Exercise Listen to music that soothes you. Stretch Practice stress releasing exercises. The time you enjoy wasting time is not wasted time.

During the Exam

Make sure you are comfortable Read over the entire exam first Read the directions carefully. Review the marking system and divide your time accordingly Complete the questions you know and that are worth the highest value first Relax! Use your strategies to calm yourself Skip questions that you are not sure of, mark them well and come back later

During the Exam

Do easy questions first

Essay questions: create a short outline

Multiple choice questions: eliminate the obviously wrong answers ,then choose the answer that fits best Short answer: answer only what is asked (to the point) Immediately write down things that you are afraid youll forget Re-check your answers

After the Exam

Get that post test treat you promised yourself Pat yourself on the back Practice relaxation techniques Think positive thoughts about all of your efforts

Treat the exam as a learning experience

Do not do a post-mortem of the exam.

Share your feelings with your teachers or family members.

Avoid other anxious peers.

Anxiety Management Techniques

Thought Stopping

Tactile Distraction
Mantra Focusing Bridging Self Talk Visualization Breathing

Thought Stopping
When you become anxious, you might start to have negative

thoughts like, I cant answer this or I am so stupid. If

this happens, halt the thoughts by mentally shouting STOP!!! You can also picture a red light or a stop sign, anything that represents the action of stopping. Once the thought has ceased, try and return your focus to your exam.

Tactile Distraction
When you become anxious, touching, squeezing or rubbing something like a rock, wishing stone, stress ball or even your fingernail can be helpful. It helps to distract other thoughts and impulses and lessen the anxiety by shifting the focus onto the object. Once that happens, re-focus your attention on your exam.

Mantra
The use of a mantra is derived from meditation. A mantra is

a word or phrase that you repeat to yourself. Saying

something like, calm or relax under your breath or in your head over and over again can help reduce anxiety. Once you feel calm again, return to your exam.

Focusing
If you develop anxious thoughts during an exam, you can

focus in on one object without shifting your stare. You can

also count the seats in each row or count the number of students with red hair. You can also play mental games like making little words out of a larger word. All of these help you distract your attention away from the anxious feelings and return to your work.

Bridging
It can help to carry or wear something with positive associations with another person, place or event. Touching this bridging object can be comforting. Take a minute to think about the person, place or situation which makes you feel good. This can have a very calming effect and allow you to refocus on your exam.

Self-Talk
When we are faced with anxiety or panic, we often give

ourselves negative messages like, I cant do this or I am

going to fail. Try to replace these messages with positive, encouraging thoughts like, Its okay. I am doing great. I am not going to let anxiety ruin this for me. Once you have calmed down, return to your exam.

Visualization
When you become anxious, it is easy to develop negative images in your mind. Try to close your eyes and replace those images with calming, relaxing, happy thoughts. The thoughts can be specific or personal like a situation that occurred in your life or they can be generic like waves crashing against the rocks near the ocean. Once you feel more calm, return to your exam

Breathing
When we feel anxious, our breathing usually becomes heavy and short due to an increased heart rate. If you are feeling this way, try to take deep slow breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth. Breathe in until you feel you cant take in any more air and then breathe out the same way. Do this at least three times in a row. Closing your eyes

at the same time might help. Return to your exam.

Tips for Parents

Dont test your child Dont let your child hit the panic button.

Match your expectations with your childs

potential. Talk less and smile more. Hug your child a little longer and a little stronger. Share your feelings with the kids, encouraging

them to do the same.

Encourage laughter in the family. Dont ban guests or your childs friends at home.

Tips for Parents.

Discuss studies with them and discuss movies and fun too. Dont ban TV at home. Help them recall positive memories.

Develop healthy eating habits.

When they are excessively quiet, irritable, have low or increased appetite ,talk about death or dying, rush them to a counsellor not an astrologer. Parents should sleep enough and eat on time.

Tips for Teachers.

Organize workshops for exam related stress/anxiety, time-management. Keep enough time for revision before the exams. Encourage laughter in the class.

Talk less and smile more.

Be open-minded and empathetic. Encourage the learners to share their feelings with you.

Tips for Teachers.

Dont let your learner hit the panic button. Keep the learners motivated. Match your expectations with your learners potential.

Organize yoga/meditation sessions in the school.

Help the learners chart and review their progress. Identify the more anxious learners ,manage and prepare them.

School Mental Health Programme

Interventionist Approach
Workshops for anxiety management, time management, general mental health and life skills etc. in at least every term of the academic session. Yoga/meditation sessions in the school.

Counselling sessions for parents and learners to cope with anxiety. Sessions for teachers to sensitize them towards exam anxiety; positive development and prevention and training them as counsellors inadvertently .
Appoint a counsellor /professional in the school.

School Mental Health Programme

Integrative Approach
Yoga/ meditation be made a compulsory part of physical education.2-3 periods in a week can be allotted to such sessions. Chanting of Om between periods and in the assembly. Sufficient practice tests should be given before the exams. Create a positive atmosphere in the school. *An ideal approach would be to use a combination of both the approaches. *This programme is meant for all age groups.

Not all stress/anxiety is bad!

Good stress/anxiety: Motivates us to stay focussed on study Bad stress/anxiety: Interferes with us preparing for exams and conveying what we know in the exam room REMEMBER: Anxiety is unpleasant but it cant hurt you Accepting anxiety helps you to cope better with it. If you focus on relaxing, anxiety recedes

All is Well !
This means that the way we

THINK
Affects the way we FEEL

And this influences how we

BEHAVE