Managing Test Anxiety

 

 Breathe.  You can calm physical sensations within your body by focusing your attention on your breathing. Concentrate on the air going in and out of your lungs. Experience it as it passes through your nose and mouth. Do this for two to five minutes. If you notice that you are taking short, shallow breaths, begin to take longer deeper breaths. Fill your lungs so that your abdomen rises, then release all the air.

 

Scan your body. Simple awareness is an effective technique to reduce the tension in your body. Sit comfortably and close your eyes.  Focus your attention on the muscles in your feet and notice if they are relaxed. Tell the muscles in your feet that they can relax. Move up to your ankles and repeat the procedure. Next go to your calves and thighs and buttocks, telling each group of muscles to relax.  Do the same for your lower back, diaphragm, chest, upper back, neck, shoulders, jaw, face upper arms, lower arms, fingers, and scalp.

 

Tense and relax.  If you are aware of a particularly tense part of your body or if you discover tension when you’re scanning your body, you can release this with the tense-relax method. To do this, find a muscle that is tense and make it even more tense. If your shoulders are tense, pull them back, arch your back, and tense your shoulder muscles even more tightly; then relax. The net result is that you can be aware of the relaxation and allow yourself to relax more. You can use the same process with your legs, arms, abdomen, chest, face, and neck.

 

Use guided imagery.  Relax completely and take a quick fantasy trip.  Close your eyes, relax your body, and imagine yourself in a beautiful, peaceful, natural setting. Create as much of the scene as you can. Be specific. Use all your senses. You can take yourself to a place you’ve never been or re-create an experience out of your past. Find a place that works for you and practice getting there. When you become proficient you can return to it quickly for trips that may last only a few seconds. With practice you can even use this technique while you are taking a test.

 

Describe it.  Focus your attention on your anxiety.  If you are feeling nauseated or if you have a headache, then concentrate on that feeling.  Describe it to yourself.  Tell yourself how large it is, where it is located in your body, and how heavy it is.

 

Be with it.  As you describe anxiety in detail, don’t resist it.  If you can completely experience a physical sensation, it will often disappear.

 

Get help.  When these techniques don’t work, when anxiety is serious, get help.  If you become withdrawn, have frequent thoughts about death or suicide, get depressed and stay depressed for more than a few days, or have prolonged feelings of hopelessness, see a counselor.  Depression and anxiety are common among students.

Test Taking Strategies Guidebook