Managing Test Anxiety

This episode addresses the dreaded feelings and experiences when it comes to: TESTS! Testing is not usually anyone's favorite thing yet it is a normal part of our education system and job culture. Listen to this episode for answers to questions like,

1. What is test anxiety?

2. What are the signs of test anxiety?

3. Where does test anxiety come from?

4. Does test-taking anxiety count as a disability?

5. How can I manage test anxiety?

6. What are test taking tips?

In this episode, Erin, a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor and OCD Specialist, addresses test anxiety—a form of nervousness affecting students during exams, likening it to a situational specific phobia rooted in the fear of failure. She shares personal anecdotes to illustrate how OCD can exacerbate test anxiety, such as the distraction from not having a comforting item like chapstick during a test. The episode delves into the signs of test anxiety, its origins, and whether it qualifies as a disability, ultimately focusing on empowering listeners to overcome this anxiety. Erin provides practical tips including positive self-talk, visualizing success, ensuring a good night's rest, healthy eating, and effective study techniques such as the Pomodoro Method. She also introduces the concept of 'walk and talk' therapy as a method to manage test anxiety, inviting listeners to join her for sessions. The episode emphasizes skill-building to manage anxiety and improve test-taking strategies, aiming to help listeners navigate their educational journey with confidence.

00:00 Welcome and Introduction to Test Anxiety

00:39 Understanding Test Anxiety and Its Impact

02:33 Personal Anecdote: A Chapstick Dilemma

03:54 OCD's Influence on Test Performance

05:52 Navigating OCD in the Classroom

07:58 Diving Deeper into Test Anxiety: Signs and Origins

10:01 Empowering Strategies to Overcome Test Anxiety

12:16 Visualizing Success: A Powerful Technique

17:37 Effective Study Habits and the Pomodoro Technique

21:42 Walk and Talk Therapy: A Unique Approach

23:11 Closing Thoughts and Resources

• Episode Transcript

  Test Anxiety

  Erin H. Davis: [00:00:00] Welcome to this episode where I am talking about test anxiety. It's that time of year where students are facing their midterms or finals, and I know this is on the mind of so many students today.

  Hi, I'm Erin, Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor and OCD Specialist. I'm also a Christian, wife, mom to three, and small business owner, helping those who are overwhelmed by stress to climb out of that valley and enjoy the view. Reheat your coffee. And pop in your AirPods to learn how to boss up to OCD.

  And what is test anxiety? So test anxiety is that form of nervousness that we get whenever we are being examined or being quizzed on our amount of knowledge or skills [00:01:00] and abilities. And with test anxiety, it's more of like a situational phobia. It's not in the diagnostic book, but can certainly be understood and recognized as a situational specific phobia.

  And the phobia, like with any fear, we have to look at what the root issue is, what that underlying fear is. And Someone with test anxiety, more often than not, they have a fear of failure. And with that fear of failure, it is probably a domino effect of Bad things, catastrophes, maybe it is limiting their opportunities to go to college or maybe it's a failing grade in college and then they lose their scholarship or whatever the case may be.

  Or maybe mom and dad are going to be upset with them because of their bad test score. [00:02:00] With test anxiety, it really limits a lot of students and it's also, I'm sure for many, very frustrating in that a test is a measurement of their knowledge, skills, and abilities when there's so much more to a person and so much more knowledge that they have and they can't put it out on a test or on paper or bubble it on a sheet the way That aligns with a score of 100 or an A, for example.

  So, what are the signs of test anxiety? Alright, well, we all know that the typical signs of anxiety include that uncontrollable worry, the nervousness, possibly they get headaches, they feel nauseous, they can't eat, or maybe if you're a parent and you've got a child with test anxiety, they will tell you that as soon as the teacher gives [00:03:00] them the test, their mind goes blank.

  And it's like all the things they've studied and worked so hard for, it's just gone out the window. Who knows where it went, but it's definitely not showing up on test day, which is an incredibly frustrating experience for many. And where does test anxiety come from? You know, it is maybe a series of events of bad experiences with tests, or maybe there are some high expectations that they're putting on themselves or others are putting on them.

  It could be that maybe they didn't study adequately, and so naturally you're going to feel nervous. And again, with the anxiety, we have a Fear that something bad is happening and that is what triggers the fight or flight response and in this case a test is the thing that is [00:04:00] triggering that fight or flight response.

  So it could be a variety of things, more or less. And what I often get asked is, Can I get a note or a letter asking for accommodations for my test anxiety? And sometimes people will go as far as asking if test anxiety counts as a disability. You know, in some scenarios, I am sure there are people out there in the world who will recognize this as a disability.

  Now, as You may know, or if you've worked with me before, you know that I love to empower you. That's why I named this podcast Bossing Up, because we don't want anxiety to win. I want to teach you the skills that you [00:05:00] need in order to overcome the anxiety so that you can learn the skills to win the battle against anxiety.

  The way test anxiety relates to OCD is people can tend to obsess about their tests. They can also engage in compulsions where maybe they have a certain ritual that they do on test days or they have a certain way that they study. And if those rituals do not go according to plan, then the brain feels like all is lost.

  We're going to fail, we're not going to score well, etc. And again in managing Anxiety in general, I Encourage you to seek help Seek a therapist that understands Anxiety as well as connects with [00:06:00] you because the most important part in any Change in any therapy is the therapeutic relationship because research shows that that is the foundational piece that helps people move forward in making change and reaching their treatment goals.

  Okay, that's my first suggestion when we're thinking about managing test anxiety. Other aspect, and this is Part of the skill in learning how to overcome anxiety is that positive self talk, giving yourself those affirmations that you can do this, that you have the knowledge. And you will go through, any of us, we will go through so many tests and exams throughout our life.

  So, learning the skills. [00:07:00] To take a test well, I mean, will definitely serve you. in thinking about the test, I want you to imagine and visualize what your test taking experience is going to be like. Okay? So, it's the morning of the exam, you're getting ready, you've had a nice breakfast, you're You go to the school, the college, the building.

  You're walking into the room. Maybe take care of whatever check in process there may be. Possibly leaving all of your belongings in a separate area. And we know we can't take in our phones. In a test or an exam. Alright, and you're going to be sitting at that desk. Sitting at the table, [00:08:00] imagining that you are there, the teacher or professor is handing out the test to everyone, and you are taking those slow, deep belly breaths,

  breathing in positive vibes, and exhaling the negative vibes out and away from you. And you are going to imagine yourself answering these questions with ease and intelligence.

  And again, inviting in that positive energy that you can do this and telling yourself you have the knowledge. You have the skills. You know these [00:09:00] things that are being asked of you

  and feel your mind free up and being open to this experience of sharing what you know and putting it on paper.

  And by the end of your exam, you're turning in your work and you feel good and confident and you know that you did well. And as you leave, you feel like you can hold your head high, because you acknowledge all the hard work that you've done this semester, and good things will come from the efforts that you've put in.

  And this technique is self actualization, okay, and [00:10:00] with this technique, you are imagining the experience. You're kind of playing it out in your mind, and you're playing it out in a positive light, where even like for a job interview, you are imagining that this scenario is going to go well and it's going to turn out in your favor.

  Because the fascinating part about the brain is that whenever we set expectations, especially Expectations that will go well. I mean, this can be kind of either self serving or self sabotaging. And what happens is, whatever your expectations are, our behaviors will match that. Interesting, right? So, the power of the mind is huge.

  And if we have the power to bring ourselves down, then you know we certainly have the power to bring ourselves up. [00:11:00] Okay, so in managing that test anxiety, another tip I want to share with you is getting a good night's rest. Okay, and I love the idea of mindfulness because we are bringing ourself into the present and I know and understand and empathize that it's very difficult to sleep the night before a big exam and as best as you can try to have you know, a routine in place or that Relaxing set of things that you do in the evenings to help yourself go to sleep.

  Definitely don't do an all night study session. That never turns out well for anyone. And, okay, if you're one of those people, because I have heard it, they'll say, oh yeah, I studied all night and I aced it. Well, well, you're just lucky. Okay, because that's not how our brain works. Our brain needs to recharge.

  because there's a lot of brain [00:12:00] chemicals that we need and also need to produce in order to perform well. Okay, and so getting a good night's rest. I recommend eating protein in the mornings because protein can help with, again, those brain chemicals. The brain chemical being dopamine, and dopamine helps with our Focus, attention, concentration, energy levels, motivation, basically all the things you need for a test.

  So, protein is a good way to go. Other test taking tips, besides the positive affirmations, besides getting a good night's sleep and doing the healthy eating, I suggest starting early. with your studying because the brain will definitely help you out if you are [00:13:00] working in a way that helps give you that advantage.

  So what I mean by that is you want to build on your long term memory and the way information gets into your long term memory is through repetition. And it's, if you're studying the night before, you're only getting short term memory, and then it's a data dump the next day. And that's not really sinking in and moving back into that long term memory bank.

  So what we need to do is have those short bursts of study sessions along the way. And maybe you can accomplish that by scheduling it or setting up an environment where you are studying and doing your homework consistently in the same place each day or each time because when we are doing that [00:14:00] it makes it It's much easier for the brain to retain that information, and whenever you are stuck on a question in your exam, you can close your eyes and think back to when you were reviewing your textbook, or your notebook, or your notes, and you can see what is on the paper, because again, it's just a much easier image for your brain to recall whenever you have that consistent memory.

  Thank you. study space. It's like there's less sensory stimulus going on so you can directly recall the information that you need at the time you need. And with the study habits it's important to do study sessions in increments. Okay? And it's also okay to take a break. Our focus and attention, [00:15:00] think about it like a gas tank.

  Every so often you need to refuel, and you can't keep the car going down the highway for, you know, endless amounts of hours without taking a break. Whether that's, I mean, truly, whether that's with your gas tank or just your amount of energy that you have in driving a car. Like, I know most of us need a break after every hour or so.

   Whenever you're studying, I encourage you to try this technique called the Pomodoro Method. And the Pomodoro Method, it helps with memory, sustained attention, and just that recall of information later on. And the way it works, it's 30 minute blocks, okay? And in the first 30 minute block, I want you to set up a timer where you are going to work and study for 25 minutes consistently.

  Then you're going to take [00:16:00] a 5 minute break. In that five minute break, it may look like going to get a snack, standing up and walking around, but don't be on your phone, okay? Because in that study session you are going to be laser focused, no distractions, just pedal to the metal with studying. Okay? Second round of that 30 minute block is going to be 20 minutes of work, 10 minute break.

  3rd round, 3rd block is 15 and 15, so you're going to do 15 minutes of work, 15 minutes of a break, and so on and so forth. So 4th round, 10 minutes of study time, 20 minutes of break. And that's because After so much studying and so much working, your brain is going to need that much more energy to get rejuvenated.

  When it comes to test anxiety, I [00:17:00] can totally empathize and after you've tried some of these strategies or even before that, I mean, by all means, you are more than welcome to join me on the trail for a walk and talk session. Being in nature, getting some movement. Those are just some of the best combinations when it comes to Our cognitive functioning, or expanding our mind, our brain, and memory, endorphins, all the things is just so wonderful.

  And if you would like to schedule a walk and talk session, go to my website at ValueDrivenTherapy. com click there. Book a consult and we'll go from there. We'll have our free 15 minute consultation and we can discuss if walk and talk therapy is right for you. If we agree that walk and talk therapy is going to be a go, and this is something that would benefit you. Then we can meet at, Rocky Face Mountain or Matheson Park or Salem [00:18:00] Park or maybe a park near you just depending on your location.

  I prefer to have our walk and talk days on a Tuesday. And Tuesdays are Just a great kind of middle of the week time to get out, go for a walk.

  Erin H. Davis: Again, it's all about taking care of your brain and helping yourself recall the information to the best of your ability. And I hope this was helpful for you all. I am so thrilled that you tuned in today. If you have any questions, feel free to go to my website at www. ValueDrivenTherapy. com and I have a bright yellow button that says book a consult. So if you are in the North Carolina region and are looking for a therapist, I am more than happy to consult and see if we're a good fit. I want to close out by wishing you well on [00:19:00] all of your Tests and exams, you've got this.

  Thank you for listening to today's episode. This information is intended to be helpful and not a substitute for professional counseling. Before you go, kindly leave me a five star review and check out the links in the show notes to see the products that can make your small business dreams happen. Take care and see you next time.

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