Tackling Test Anxiety, by Erin Cox

As it turns out, all the studying in the world will not keep you from vibrating out of your seat if test anxiety turns you into a wind-up toy that never shuts down. If this sounds like you, then read on to find some tips that might help get you through your next exam.

If you are anything like me, you have already Google searched advice on how to deal with test anxiety. I’m not going to lie—the advice on the internet is BAD (pretend I just said that while groaning). Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure it works great for some people. But I would be willing to bet it is just aggravating to most.

Before I talk about some really effective test taking tips, I want to discuss what test anxiety is physically and some possible triggers. My opinion is the more you understand what it is, the easier it will be to deal with it.

Everything in our bodies is controlled either by nerves or hormones. Anxiety can be triggered by improper nerve and hormone function. In the nervous system, low Serotonin can cause both anxiety and depression (which is a double edge sword if you ask me because it’s bad enough to be anxious about a test—but now you are going to be sad about it too). So how do we fix this? “It's possible that eating foods high in tryptophan with a healthy serving of carbohydrates can have an effect on your serotonin levels.” Guys I can’t make this stuff up. This quote came from http://www.healthline.com/health/healthy-sleep/foods-that-could-boost-your-serotonin. So, if you want less anxiety—eat more turkey and mashed potatoes. Even try eating something with carbs about an hour before your test. It may not be good for watching weight, but that can be worried about after your test.

This actually makes sense because the hormone responsible for stress is Cortisol. Cortisol is a hormone produced by your Adrenal glands (Kidneys) and helps to increase blood sugar when it is low in your body. I won’t get into the details of how it does this exactly, but you should understand that when your body goes into Fight or Flight (anxiety), your body releases cortisol in order to have extra blood sugar ready in order to ‘survive.’ But if there is excess sugar in your blood already, the cortisol should not be released (so long as there is not an underlying hormone imbalance problem to begin with). Keeping cortisol in check is also done by exercising. Exercise will use up extra sugar and help to relax/exhaust nerves and muscles. This also helps bring you out of fight or flight.

Fight or Flight will cause your heart rate to increase, breathing to increase, blood vessels to constrict, and muscles to tighten. So it would be good to stretch your body and take deep, long, slow breaths before a test; or if you are allowed, get up—step back—and stretch during your test. Let your instructor know that you have an anxiety problem and ask if that would be ok. This would also give you an opportunity to regroup your thoughts. You can certainly close your eyes for a moment and take some long, slow breaths while you are still at your seat during a test. Your heart rate can be slowed by breathing also. If you intentionally slow your breathing and relax you muscles, your heart rate will slow and relax too. If getting up during a test is not an option, you can clench and unclench different muscles to help them to relax. I usually end up clenching and unclenching my butt-cheeks. I promise, no one will notice you do it. But (no pun intended), to get rid of nervousness, you need to smile with all 4 cheeks (this concept comes from horse trainer Pat Parelli).

I want to take a moment to discuss possible triggers and how to avoid them. This may or may not apply to the test anxiety you deal with, but most anxiety comes from the fear of failure. I think most students, who study at all, know their material. Any test I have ever failed, I knew that I did not know the material and I wasn’t worried about doing well. I was confident I was going to fail that test, just like I am confident when I am prepared that I will do well. Lack of confidence and fear of failure will feed off one another. It would be easy for me to sit here and tell you “I know you can do it, just be confident in yourself.” But not only would that be annoying, it would not do a dang thing for you. Confidence has to be learned the old fashioned way. Start out thinking about all the things you are good at, especially the things you really enjoy doing. Be proud of the things you are good at. Don’t think you are good at anything? You’re making an effort—be proud of that because it is harder to try than to give up and walk away. You get a 50% on a test? Be proud of the 50% you got right. College is hard. You are not alone. Do not give up. We want to help you. If you are really struggling in a class, make an appointment with your instructor—that’s what office hours are for.

I hope the beginning of this blog gave you a little insight, but now I am going to list some of the best test taking tips I have ever learned.

Test Taking Tips:

1.      TAKE YOUR TIME!!! If you have an hour to take the test, use the whole hour. If you rush, you will read something wrong. Some questions will have one word that makes the difference between answers. Go slow and you will be sure to catch it.

2.      TAKE EVERY TEST TWICE. Sound redundant? It is. BUT, this is how you will catch any mistakes you made. The second time I take a test, I take it as if I hadn’t taken it at all, and I check to see if my answers match up. This is another way to take up the entire time.

3.      WRITE ON YOUR TEST!!! This is probably the most liberating thing I have ever learned to do. Circle key words. Make a note of questions that you are not sure about. Scratch out answers you know for sure are incorrect. Sketch out visual aids or concept maps if that helps you. And if you are not permitted to write on your test, use a piece of scratch paper. I will actually write notes to myself and reason answers. If you are using a piece of scrap paper, write down which questions you are not sure about so that you can focus on them the second time you take the test.

4.      ASK YOUR INSTRUCTOR WHERE THE TEST QUESTIONS COME FROM. This is not out of line. Most instructors do not have an issue letting you know how they come up with their test questions. They really want you to do well. Then, study from the material the test comes from instead of trying to study everything. Also be sure to listen during lecture for phrases like: “you need to know this.” Guaranteed, whatever is being talked about at that time will be on the test.

5.      FIGURE OUT WHAT YOUR LEARNING STYLE IS!!! I do not learn well by reading, so I do not reread my notes or chapters in order to study. I am a visual learner, so anyway I can appeal to this, the better I know the material. When you find something that works, stick with it. If you are confident in what you know, anxiety will not be as big of an issue.

6.      Before each test you should laugh histerically. Laughter is one of the best stress busters. Take a break from studying and find something that makes you laugh.

Check out the previous blog: How to Deal with Your Child’s Meltdown when You’re in the Middle of Your Own for information on identifying and dealing with stress. We are all rooting for you! Please leave your questions and feedback in the comment section so that we can recommend specific advice for you. Also, check back on this site for announcements for a Movie Night, a Video Game Competition, and Pre-Finals Comedy Break.

Good Luck!!!

How to Deal with Your Child's Meltdown When You're in the Middle of Your Own!, by Erin Cox

It’s 7:00 at night and you are trying your best to finish a paper, study for a test, and keep up with a lengthy reading assignment. NOTHING is making sense. Meanwhile, your child is protesting cleaning toys up and getting ready for bed. Both of you are tired, if not exhausted. The stage is set…here it comes…tantrum, fit, protest, meltdown, whatever you want to call it—you know what I’m talking about. And if you haven’t already joined in with the meltdown, you really want to yell and scream and throw things too. What do you do?

 

Image from fooyoh.com 

The fact is, not to discourage anyone, you can’t take away any of the stressors: the paper, the test, the bills, the children’s wants and needs, life. What you can do is take control of them by taking control of yourself and your response to stress.

The following advice has been found on the Phi Theta Kappa Competitive Edge website.

Step One: Learn your own stress response. Think about taking a test in your hardest class right now and being unprepared for it. I mean really visualize what it would be like and how you will feel to completely fail that test. Or think about getting pulled over by a cop. What is your body doing? Is your heart racing? Is your breathing changed? Is your chest tighter? Did you feel something in your stomach? Your stress response can be emotional too. Are you angry? Sad? Scared? Excited? Whatever change you feel is part of your stress response. Once you are aware of how your body responds to stress, it will be much easier to cope and even stop your stress response before you hit meltdown level.

Step Two:  Find stress-busting techniques that work for you. Phi Theta Kappa recommends engaging multiple senses (sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch). “Each person responds differently to sensory input, so you need to find things that are soothing and/or energizing to you.” A person who enjoys music might choose to work with music playing. Personally, I find doing something that is ‘mindless’ and physical works wonders; go for a walk or run or even clean. Laughing has been shown to “reduce stress, elevate mood, and bring your nervous system back into balance.” So a great option might be to read some jokes online or watch a funny video. Google Tim Hawkins—he is hilarious. Whatever you do, just be sure you are not avoiding the things that need to be done.

Step Three: Be the master of your own emotions. This takes daily practice. Most of us have decided that emotions just happen and there is nothing that can be done about them. Wrong! It is true that you may not be able to keep an emotion from coming to the surface, but you can certainly decide what to do with that emotion. It is really not complicated either; you simply do not dwell in that emotion (we dwell in houses, not emotions). Figure out what is causing this emotion and do something about it immediately if you can. And NEVER act out of emotion. If your kids do something that makes you furious, send them to their rooms till you can calm down and then discipline them. If someone does something that upsets you, don’t go on Facebook and say “I can’t believe how awful So-and-So is! L” Wait until the feeling fades and go directly to that person and tell him/her how you were offended. If that person acts like a fool when you do, well, that’s his/her own problem at that point. Sometimes backing down is really hard to do, especially when you are fired up. But, I promise you that you will have so much more peace if you do not engage in an argument. Remember, it takes two to argue. Arguments take time and energy; and it is exhausting to dwell in emotion. Learn to forgive—even if the other person is not asking or deserving. A little known wisdom is that Forgiveness is for the offended, not the offender. When you forgive someone, all you are saying is ‘I am done with this argument.’ You are not losing or even condoning what was done. Staying in an emotion provoked by another person gives the other person control over you. So forgive and take his or her power away.

Now, how does this all apply to your family? Do all of these steps together. Help your family to understand how to identify their stress responses. Then, do something together. A double meltdown is the perfect opportunity for a bonding experience: walk together, go bicycling, draw pictures together, watch a TV show, go to the park. The best thing you can do when you and your kid are having meltdowns is HUG! Hugging can help heal sickness, disease, loneliness, depression, stress, and anxiety. Scientifically, hugging someone for 20 seconds releases oxytocin, which is the hormone associated with love.

Most of all, if you find yourself having a meltdown at the same time as your child, don’t give up! You are not the only one out there having this problem, and we are all going to get through this!

Need Academic Advice?

Image from www.wadesworld.me 

Have you ever silently struggled to organize your thoughts and materials for college? What about to manage time or find a proper study technique? 

All of these struggles become magnified under the pressure of caring for children.

Alpha Alpha Iota is here to help. Many of our members at York Tech have raised children while attending college. One of our advisors has also juggled these responsibilities. We know what you are going through. We know that there are not enough hours in the day to mark off all that you have on your to-do list. We also understand the stress, fear, and guilt associated with having so much at stake. Many parents attending college have guilt when they leave their children, or maybe they feel that they cannot spend adequate time at home with their kids, on homework or even just playing. Mostly, though, they just have a hard time getting it all done to their satisfaction.

If you would like advice from students right here at York Tech and information that may be helpful in your journey, such as links or materials, please follow our blog. Also, feel free to comment on our blog posts. We want to know what you think and what you need. If you think of anything we can address, please let us know!

Juggling Life: School, Kids, Spouse, Work, You, by Erin Cox, PTK President

Two weeks into the semester and I already feel like a circus act--how about you? I feel like a juggling clown: one ball per child, one for my spouse, one for work, one for each class, and on and on and on… Although some days I’m not a juggling clown; I’m a contortionist, or a trick rider, or an acrobat, or a lion tamer. I feel like my life is a circus with the main feature being the iron stomach that can drink a full pot of coffee at 9:30 at night. It’s not easy or fun being a circus act.

This is why we all need to go from being the juggling clowns in our lives to being the ring masters. Each class and responsibility we have throughout the day is like a different act in the show. What we have to learn to do is not stress out about clowns throwing us more balls to juggle or even dropping any of the balls we already have. We are only human: we make mistakes, we get frustrated, we get tired, we want to throw our balls at people. Some of our shows will not be as good as other shows—we might do poorly on a test, forget to pack a lunch, not finish the laundry, or one of many other things. We have to be sure to live in the moment and not the past. Just know that we are going to have good shows and bad shows; and when we have a bad show, accept completion as accomplishment and begin preparing for the next show—the next lab quiz, the next paper, the next homework assignment your kid brings home, etc.

Also, do not be afraid to ask for help putting your circus tent up, managing acts, and feeding the circus animals—yeah, I’m talking about kids. Circuses are not meant to be a solo act. Would you go watch a one-man circus? I wouldn’t. It can be really difficult to ask for help, especially when things feel so messy and out of order. But a lot of times audience participation is just what will make the difference. So ask for your family to help you, or your instructors, or your peers, or the people here at Student 2 Student.

The moral of the story is: when you fall, don’t shut down the circus—the show must go on; run the circus, and don’t let the circus run you—be the ring master of your own life.

How to Not Go Crazy 

by Erin Cox, PTK President at York Technical College

I am a student at York Tech, and I am a parent. It is impossible to keep both of these roles separate. The demands of being both is at times exhausting, frustrating, and overwhelming. I spend a lot of time wondering if I can handle it; will I be enough? At the beginning of this semester, it is no different. All the stress and anxiety make me feel like I could go crazy any minute. To avoid this, I have developed a system for myself.

Image from projectavalon.net 

The following are my three tips for not going crazy:

1.      Stay on top of the material for class. I study from notecards. So, I try to write my notecards out every night after class. This is a great way to keep the material fresh and look up further explanations to things that did not make sense. If I still don’t understand, I write a question to ask my instructor.

2.      Stay organized. I keep a calendar with my schedule and my family’s schedule. I even schedule time to do homework before my due dates. I write down my exam dates as soon as I can so that I am sure to not schedule work or doctor’s appointments too close. Being able to see my schedule broken into manageable pieces helps me feel like I can handle the work.

3.      Do something for yourself. It is very important to take time to unplug from the stress in life. It doesn’t have to be long. Take a walk. Read a novel. Watch TV. I try to spend a little me time at the gym or riding my horse. It is physically and mentally unhealthy to stay in a high stress state of being for long periods of time.

While using tips like these will not make the work easier, it will at least make it less scary. Good luck this year to everyone reading this! Please share some of the things you do keep up with being a student, parent, worker, spouse, etc. Or, post your questions for further suggestions!