Relaxation helps ease test anxiety

Are you a perfectionist? Do you have a kind of performance anxiety known as test anxiety? There are ways to deal with such stomachchurning, mind-bending stress.

According to www.kidshealth.org, test anxiety often occurs when someone anticipates doing something stressful. It becomes a problem when that person can’t get past his or her nerves to properly prepare for a test.

Instead, experts say, students should use their stress to prepare for tests. Again, according to www.kidshealth.org, “Stress is your body’s warning mechanism.” It’s a signal that something important is about to happen.

Tony Miller, coordinator for disability services at North Lake, said early preparation for a test is a stress buster. “Last-minute cramming is a big mistake, Miller said. “On the eve of a test, students should be reviewing rather than studying. And they should take occasional breaks to relax,” he said.

Failing to review notes regularly can be a stress builder, according to www.how-to-study.com Some pretest warning signs include an inability to focus when studying, expecting to do poorly, and “drawing a blank” on familiar subject matter. Students who experience those study problems could fi nd their minds wandering aimlessly when they take their tests.

The folks at www.kidshealth.org also recommend that students accept the fact that they will make some mistakes. This means not being a perfectionist. It means giving themselves a chance to learn.

Diane Thorpe, faculty counselor at North Lake, said students should focus on breathing techniques as a means of reducing test anxiety. “By inhaling through their mouths and exhaling through their noses, students should be able to relax fairly quickly,” Thorpe said. “Do this to the count of four,” she said.

“Breathe in for four seconds. Hold your breath for four seconds. Exhale for another four seconds. These are some helpful relaxation techniques,” Thorpe said.

“Give them a shot and see if they work for you.”