Managing Test Anxiety
Test anxiety can be a real challenge for teens. It’s natural to feel nervous before an exam, but when the fear becomes overwhelming it can interfere with your ability to perform well on tests and other academic tasks. Fortunately, there are several evidence-based strategies you can use to manage test anxiety.
One of the most effective approaches is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), which is taught in Kaiya sessions. This type of therapy helps you identify negative thoughts that lead to anxious feelings and teaches you how to replace them with more positive ones. For example, if your mind starts telling you “I'm going fail this test” during an exam, CBT encourages replacing this thought with something like, “I am prepared for this test and I have done my best studying." By recognizing these patterns in our thinking, we become better able at managing our emotions more effectively during stressful situations, such as exams or tests.
In addition to CBT techniques, there are also some practical steps that may help reduce stress levels prior to exams:
Get organized: Create a study plan ahead of time so that all material is covered adequately without feeling overwhelmed by last-minute cramming sessions.
Take care of yourself physically: Exercise regularly throughout the week leading up until the day before testing, eat healthy meals and snacks, get enough sleep each night, and avoid caffeine, which will only increase levels of nervousness.
Practice relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing exercises or progressive muscle relaxation, which involve tensing/relaxing different muscle groups one at a time starting from your head down to your toes. These skills, among others, are taught in Kaiya sessions; click here to submit an interest form!
Talk about it! Discuss your worries with your Kaiya peers, family members, friends, or teachers, who may be able to provide helpful advice on how best to prepare for upcoming assessments. With practice using these skills, over time you will find yourself becoming better equipped to handle any future testing scenarios.
Good luck! :)
Photo by Joice Kelly on Unsplash.