If you feel anxious when preparing for an exam, take some time to think about what is causing the anxiety because, once you know what is causing it, you will be in a better position to tackle it.
Exam anxiety could be linked to: being generally a bit of worrier, a tendency to be anxious; being poorly prepared; you had a bad experience in a previous exam; you are a perfectionist, and think anything less than top marks is a failure; you are not feeling well or you are on medication.
If you are feeling tense in an exam, stop, put down your pen and relax. Breathe slowly and close your eyes for a few minutes. If it helps, put your head on the desk. Shake your arms. Say something positive and encouraging to yourself.
We can be afraid of something because we haven’t been exposed to it very much. “Fear of the unknown” is a commonly-used phrase to describe what people feel to something that’s different. After confronting your false beliefs, you can start to slowly expose yourself to the fear.
When your fear arises, pause and reflect on your actual risk. Talk back to your negative thoughts or false beliefs and say for example, “I recognise that some dogs are vicious, but the vast majority of dogs are gentle. It is unlikely I will get bitten.”
Do some research to understand your actual risk versus perceived risk. Recognise that the worse-case scenario is highly unlikely. Begin to re-structure your thoughts to not engage in catastrophic thinking, and start to challenge back to those thoughts.
Many fears are based in false beliefs or catastrophic thinking. When you see a snake, you may immediately have a belief that says it will harm you, and that you will die. Identify these patterns of thinking, and start to question them.
If you don’t have many external support factors in your life, you can still develop skills and attitudes and take actions that will help you become resilient against the stressors that you encounter. There are still things you can do to help yourself.
When we get a clear look at our ways of thinking and feeling, rather than just following their leads unconsciously or semi-consciously, then we respond more consciously and choicefully rather than react on the basis of habit or situational circumstances.
Because mindfulness is about grounding consciousness in the present, the mind is less likely to be captivated by self-generated mental accounts about the past and future, as well as the rumination, regret, anxiety, and other experiences that can dampen the experience of well-being.