LIFE SKILLS & VALUE EDUCATION – CLASS-XI – UNIT- 4 Managing Exam Stress and Anxiety

                                ‘Anxiety is the feeling of fear, worry and unease’.

                  “In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity.”   __   ALBERT EINSTEIN

           “Tension is a habit. Relaxing is a habit. Bad habits can be broken, good habits can be formed.”

__   WILLIAM JAMES

            Exam or test anxiety is defined as a common and often normal stress reaction experienced before,
            during and sometimes after exams. Exam anxiety presents an issue when it is intense, continues

            over time and impacts your performance.

            Why do students feel stressed-out about exams? Sometimes pressures coming from the individual

            themselves (such as perfectionism), or even their family or friends can also contribute to the

           degree of anxiety experienced in regard to exams. Exam anxiety may also intensify after a negative

           exam experience when confidence has been affected. A lack of preparation or study can also increase our                                             

           sense of helplessness and stress or there could be some other worrying thoughts like, I remember
           all what I learn for exam, can I get good marks to get my stream?
         

A little bit of anxiety is fine but if you are too anxious or stressed-out for an exam, it can impact your                                                                   

performance negatively. If you let your exam anxiety, take over you, all your hard work will get wasted.

             Since everyone feels anxious, consider it as a part of life. Use your nervousness and anxiety in a positive                         

             manner to energize and work for better results.

                 HOW TO IDENTIFY WHEN YOU ARE STRESSED OUT?

      Symptoms
    
     There are many symptoms which people may have when experiencing exam anxiety and these may occur         before, during, and/or after exams.

Emotional * Feeling nervous, unsettled or overwhelmed.   * Feeling panic or experiencing panic attacks.   * Feeling down or helpless.   * Feeling a sense of shame or guilt.	Cognitive   * Difficulties concentrating and/or paying attention.   * Difficulties recalling information.   * Irrational or unhelpful thoughts.    * Preoccupation with thoughts of failure         or embarrassment.
Physical         *Increased heart rate.             *Nausea and/or digestive changes.                 * Fatigue without physical exertion.        * Increased sweating             * Loss of appetite or over-eating.         * Light-headedness or feeling dizzy.   *Sleep changes (over or under sleeping or   disrupted.	Behavioral   *Pacing or acting restless (shaking leg, increased activity).   * Cramming or staying up the night before in the hope it will help improve your grades or reduce anxiety.   *Making simple mistakes during exam despite knowing content.   * Leaving the exam as soon as possible or before finishing

STRATEGIES TO COPE WELL WITH EXAM ANXIETY

It is important to learn how to control your emotions so that you can
concentrate and be successful. There are following strategies to cope
you well with exam anxiety:

1. Eat Properly:
   Your body needs the nutrients it gets from food in order to keep
   functioning properly. The food you eat affects how you feel both
   emotionally and physically. For example, food items with lots of
   fats or sugars can make you feel heavy or sluggish. When your
   body has the fuel and nutrients it needs, it makes it a lot easier to
   manage feelings of stress and anxiety.
2. Sleep Well:
   A good sleep helps you remember what you learn especially in the
   days before your exams.
3. Exercise:
   Physical exercises will help you feel calm, fresh and energetic for
   hours. So always include exercises in your timetable.

      4. Distract Strategies: Use some distract strategies that can help you manage your stressful or anxious
          feelings such as using a stress ball, chewing some gum, sipping on ice water, etc.

5. Positive Thoughts or Cheerleading Statements: Combat worry thoughts or negative thoughts such as
      “I am going to fail” or “I can’t do this” with positive thoughts or cheerleading statements such as “I got

       this” or “I am going to try my best; I know my stuff”. Write these cheerleading or positive statements out
       and paste them around your study area.

         6.Relaxation Techniques: Reduce feelings of stress or anxiety when studying or writing exams by using                                                                

breathing exercises. For example: take a minute to close your eyes, inhale for a count of three, then

exhale for a count of five and then repeat. It only takes a moment and helps your body and mind relax, to help you be in a better frame of mind to concentrate.

      7. Talk to someone: If you find that you are still feeling overly stressed, talk to someone you trust; whether      it is    a parent, teacher, counsellor or friend. Sometimes just talking about things can make you feel better
     and the person you talk to, may help you put things into proper perspective.

EXAMINATION DAY

    Today we had an examination day, a time I had been preparing for, for a whole month, The pressure was

    upon us students, intense and exciting at the same time. I could feel the fear lurking across the vast open

    school grounds, where I could see almost everyone with their books out. I shivered like a fish out of water,

    unable to breathe. I panicked but held myself tight while whispering to myself, “You’ll be alright. You have

    been preparing for this”. When I and a bunch of other students entered the examination hall, much quieter

    than usual, I could smell and feel the cold air adding more to the already stressful environment. I realized

    I was breathing heavily and my heart thumped as we slowly sat down at our individual desks. No one

    even bothered to look at each other as they tried to remember all their notes. I felt a slight sense of

     confidence as I saw that most people were nervous. As the sheets were handed to everyone, I started as

     soon as I was given mine. The air around me turned warm and I concentrated even more.

I looked left and then right and seeing everyone with their head down motivated me to work harder. Alas, the moment I had dreaded had finally come; I was stuck on a question. “Oh, what do I do?”, I thought, “should I peek at other’s sheets? No! That’s cheating!”. My mind suddenly went blank, and all I could think of was how I was going to manage my time and answer some of the questions. I got worried if I was even going to finish the exam. I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself and everything around me was not so bad anymore.

    The silence in the room helped me calm down and regain control. I was able to gather my thoughts and was

able to finish just in time. The test seemed extremely hard at first but then I got the hang of it. All that adrenaline rushing through my veins, helped me quickly in controlling the anxiety and maintaining focus through the exam. By the time I finished the exam, I was still breathing irregularly, though it was because I was finally relieved. When I left the examination room, I ran across the hallway towards my mum, waiting outside the school. I didn’t care about my surrounding, all I wanted was a hug. We stood there for a long time and it felt good to see the bright, shining sun and beautiful blooming flowers. I drank water and it felt as if it cleansed my entire body from inside. I could even hear others jumping and running towards their parents, and screams echoing all over the grounds. Eventually, I found myself laughing like a dolphin on my reactions during the exam, keeping fingers crossed for a great result.

ACTIVITY TIME:

Stress-Buster Balloon Activity

A great activity to help children overcome exam stress is a “Stress-Buster Balloon Activity.”

Objective:  To help students release stress and develop a positive mindset before exams.

Materials Needed:

Balloons (one per student)

Small slips of paper

Pens or markers

Steps:

1. Identify Stressors:

Give each student a slip of paper and ask them to write down their biggest exam-related worry (e.g., “I’m afraid I will forget everything” or “I feel pressure to score well”).

2. Blow Up the Stress:

Have students put their slip of paper inside a balloon and inflate it (but not tie it). This represents their stress growing bigger when they hold onto it.

3. Let It Go!

On the count of three, everyone releases their balloons into the air, letting them fly around the room.

This symbolizes letting go of stress and realizing that worries don’t have to control them.

4. Positive Affirmation Circle:

Gather the students and ask them to share one positive thought about exams (e.g., “I

have studied well, and I will do my best” or “My hard work will pay off”).

5. Mindfulness Moment:  End with a shortguided breathing exercise:

Inhale deeply for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds, and exhale for 4 seconds. Repeat 3-4 times to relax the mind.

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