September 6, 2012 at 6:14 am, by Carl

Across the country, school has begun, and with that comes the pressure of anxiety.  For many, the challenge to accomplish isn’t really in the execution of the thing, but in dealing with the anxiety ABOUT the thing.  Many students have actually prepared well, have been in class and do have at least an average grasp of the material, yet as the pressure mounts before the exam, they fold.  I’ve had students withdraw from the course, or speak to me about withdrawing, when they were easily passing the class.  For some who withdraw, they do so because they can’t handle, or aren’t used to actual rigor in the classroom.   Yet, for others, they do have a handle on the rigor, but dealing with the anxiety of the assessments is too much.

So, what to do?  First, shut down the negative voice in your head by feeding yourself positive reinforcement.  Take the time, literally, to write yourself positive messages about your ability.  If your professor, boss or customers have praised you, write out their praise.  Post these positive comments where you can see them—on the bathroom mirror, on the home screen of your phone, on the inside of your notebook, on your desk.  We are our own worst enemy in this regard, and we have to choose to feed the positive. In other words, pump up the volume of the positive in order to drown out the negative self-talk.

Secondly, build in strategies and structures for success.  Remember what I have taught you previously—practice builds habits.  Make sure you are doing the daily habits of success in your endeavor.  For students, that is as simple as go to class each and every day.  While there, take the work seriously just like you should take a job seriously.  Take notes to retain the information given, even if the professor doesn’t make a big deal about taking notes—studies are clear that when we take information in more than one process (listening PLUS writing; reading PLUS writing), we remember more.  Participate in the class activities.  Avoid being near the people who are less interested or outwardly negative; they will ALWAYS turn your attitude.

The same concepts of strategy and structure holds true when you are confronted by the actual test or assessment.  Focus on your strengths—for a job related activity, perhaps your best strength is in people skills, so instead of launching into a speech that makes you nervous, spend a few minutes engaging your client.  For an exam, focus on the easy questions–yes, even skipping right over a question that you don’t comprehend well.  For essay writing or even short paragraphs, take a minute or two in order to quickly list concepts or ideas related to the essay.  You have the information in your head since you know you studied; get it out without worrying about how it sounds or looks in the final essay or paragraph.  Once it is down on paper, you no longer have to “remember it.”  You can now focus on putting your best writing skills to use.

Thirdly, there will be hurdles.  Life is never smooth sailing all the time, so just expect it.  The more you are mentally ready for some things to not be perfect, the better you will handle it, and reduce anxiety about that moment.  In an exam, you will find some hard questions.  As I said above, feel free to skip them at first in order to build your confidence.  Often, I have found that as I work on other information, perhaps writing an essay, something about those questions, and my answers, will trigger the memory of the harder question.  As you gain momentum, then you can dive into the hard question.  Remind yourself that you DID STUDY, you have been to class, so this information is in your head.  Keep moving as you are dealing with the test; don’t allow yourself to come to a complete stop in a panic.  By all means, do not compare yourself to others in the exam—if they finish early or seem to writing a lot more than you, that is of no concern to you.  Often the first person finished is actually the person who knows the least.  Keep your focus on your own work and success.

Remember that you have put in the work beforehand, so you can handle any problems or situations calmly.  I know we all handle performance and challenge differently; we aren’t all as calm as others, and for some, a dose of nerves helps them focus in the moments before the event, just like an athlete will feel that zing of adrenaline before the race.   Yet, remind yourself that you are ready.

Once it is over, relax. Go hang out with some friends.  See a movie.  Do something fun or even reward yourself.  You did it!