URBANA, IL (Chambana Today) — Nerves before a big exam are common, but for some students, the stress goes beyond butterflies. Lisa Lawrence, a licensed clinical social worker at OSF HealthCare, says test anxiety can affect all ages and often stems from past negative experiences, fear of failure, or tying self-worth to performance.
Symptoms can include increased heart rate, dizziness, difficulty concentrating, and forgetfulness — the body’s “fight or flight” response kicking in at the wrong moment.
“Your brain might be interpreting the test as a threat,” Lawrence said. “So your body’s reacting in a way that’s ‘fight or flight.’ Or maybe you freeze and forget everything you’re trying to recall.”
Lawrence recommends grounding techniques to calm anxiety in the moment. One popular method is the 5-4-3-2-1 exercise: identify five things you see, four things you feel, three things you hear, two things you smell, and one thing you taste. Other techniques involve deep breathing, tensing and relaxing muscles, and focusing on positive thoughts.
When it comes to studying, Lawrence advises against cramming. Instead, she suggests breaking study sessions into 20-minute chunks spread across the week.
“Allow yourself to ‘chunk’ the studying,” Lawrence said. “Set a timer. Give yourself 20 minutes. Do as much studying as you can in that time. Then, do another thing that might nourish you.”
You can read OSF’s full story here.