{"id":31247,"date":"2017-03-30T14:58:22","date_gmt":"2017-03-30T18:58:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/?p=31247"},"modified":"2017-03-30T14:58:22","modified_gmt":"2017-03-30T18:58:22","slug":"managing-exam-anxiety","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/2017\/03\/30\/managing-exam-anxiety\/","title":{"rendered":"Managing Exam Anxiety"},"content":{"rendered":"Here\u2019s a new tongue twister for you \u2013 try saying \u201cExam Anxiety\u201d five times really fast. Can you do it? I sure can\u2019t.\r\n\r\nUnfortunately, \u201cExam Anxiety\u201d isn\u2019t just a tongue twister \u2013 rather, it is something that affects many students around finals weeks. But don\u2019t worry! If you have exam anxiety, there are a few things you can do to reduce it\u00a0to ensure that you perform at your best.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<h3>How To Reduce Anxiety While Studying<\/h3>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li>The main way to reduce anxiety is to alleviate uncertainty. Setting SMART goals, implementing an action-plan, and monitoring your progress increases exam preparedness, reduces uncertainty, and therefore can greatly reduce anxiety.\r\n<ol>\r\n\t<li>Clearly\u00a0define your goals so that you know what you are working towards. What do you hope to achieve by the end of exam season? Make sure your goal is SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, &amp; Time-bound). If you need help with goal setting, <a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/2017\/01\/12\/turning-resolutions-into-goals-part-12\/\" target=\"_blank\">read this post for more information<\/a>.<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Identify\u00a0all the tasks (and sub-tasks) you need to complete to reach your goals.\u00a0Schedule these tasks into your weekly agenda, leaving adequate time for self-care and other commitments - such as a job or time to spend with your family.\u00a0Clearly define what you plan on achieving each day, and how much time you will allocate towards each task. Furthermore, <a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/2017\/01\/26\/the-benefits-of-rewarding-yourself\/\" target=\"_blank\">implement a reward system<\/a> to help keep you on track.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li>Often times, anxiety is accelerated by negative self-talk. Instead of thinking <em>\"I can't do it,\"<\/em>\u00a0\"I<em> might fail,\"<\/em> or <em>\"I can't reach my goals,\"<\/em> spend a few minutes a day offering positive remarks to yourself in the mirror. Be creative with what you say and be kind to yourself! I personally use this technique to lift my mood whenever I feel bogged down\u00a0due to stress and it never fails to help. Some things I say to myself include:\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li>You can do it!<\/li>\r\n\t<li>You're doing a great job persevering! Keep at it kiddo!<\/li>\r\n\t<li>You can pass this! Just stick to your schedule and you got this!!<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li>Another great way to reduce anxiety is to talk to someone you trust - such as a parent or a friend. Encouragement and validation from a third party can help you\u00a0gain self-confidence and motivate you to persevere. Whenever I lose faith in myself and fall victim to anxiousness, I give my mom or my best friend a call and tell them what's wrong - their\u00a0pep talks make me happy, increase\u00a0my self-confidence, and\u00a0help me relax.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li>Seek help! If you find yourself feeling anxious because you don't know what to do, don't shy away from seeking help. Professors, teaching assistants, classmates, learning strategists \u2013 help is just one call\/email\/appointment away.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<h3>How To Reduce Anxiety\u00a0Right Before The Exam<\/h3>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li>Get enough sleep (7-8h) the night prior to your exam. This ensures your brain is fully functioning, and decreases your chances of \"blanking out\" during a test.<\/li>\r\n\t<li>If things feel overwhelming, take 5-7 deep breaths. I know we have all heard this tip a million times but it works, trust me!<\/li>\r\n\t<li>As mentioned above, say encouraging things to yourself<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Remember that your grades don't define your worth -\u00a0just try your best because that is in your control.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWith that said, let me know your favourite anxiety reduction tips in the comments below! Also, don't forget to try the tongue twister (tell your friends to try it as well)!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"entry-summary\">\n<div class=\"entry-summary\">\nHere\u2019s a new tongue twister for you \u2013 try saying \u201cExam Anxiety\u201d five times really fast. Can you do it? I sure can\u2019t. Unfortunately, \u201cExam Anxiety\u201d isn\u2019t just a tongue twister \u2013 rather, it is something that affects many students&hellip;\n<\/div><div class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/2017\/03\/30\/managing-exam-anxiety\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &ldquo;Managing Exam Anxiety&rdquo;<\/span>&hellip;<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div><div class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/2017\/03\/30\/managing-exam-anxiety\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &ldquo;Managing Exam Anxiety&rdquo;<\/span>&hellip;<\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"author":297,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7204,1,58,68],"tags":[127,25332,12908,25333,441,1837],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31247"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/297"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31247"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31247\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31262,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31247\/revisions\/31262"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31247"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31247"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31247"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}