How Students Can Reduce Stress Before A Test

Most of us get nervous when we face a test. And some of us get so stressed out that we freeze.

The good news is that there are successful techniques that are easy to do that will overcome your fears. Some of these techniques are from this week’s Wall Street Journal (the best newspaper for consumer and investor news) and some from my own experience dealing with anxiety – especially when giving a speech.

Much of the problem is trash talk, yep, that little person inside your head telling you that you aren’t good enough or that you are a failure.

To get that little person even smaller, “write rite down fears and anxieties before the test to free working memory and prevent distractions during the test,” suggests the WSJ.

Also, write down all the times you have successfully learned something involving your test.

Breathing is a great too. When we get stressed, we tend to take shallow breaths. Focus on taking deep breaths from the bottom of your stomach. Hard to be nervous when you are focused on breathing properly.

And while you do that, check in on your body, see where you are tightening up (your buttocks or stomach maybe, or grinding your teeth) and focus on relaxing those parts.

Next trick that many successful sports figures use is to visualize doing something successful. Prior to the test visualize in great detail how you will sit in the desk, calm and collected, what you will wear and how you will remember everything you need to. Surgeons sometimes visualize doing a difficult surgery before actually doing it. Studies have shown that it is highly effective. This is a powerful tool you can use in other aspects of your life.

“Practice in advance facing all the pressures you will face on exam day, such as driving to the testing center or visiting an unfamiliar testing room,” is another excellent suggestion from the WSH.

And if your stress level is still high, there is one more tool worth trying out. Check out a competent hypnotist – someone who has a degree in psychology (a lot of hypnotists don’t have any legitimate credentials).

Have the hypnotist teach you self-hypnosis. It only takes one session. Again a great tool you can use throughout your life for many purposes.