What is exam anxiety?
Exam anxiety is an intense state of anxiety that prevents the previously learned knowledge from being remembered and used during the exam, resulting in the child/adolescent not being able to fully use their current capacity.
It is a type of anxiety caused by the meanings attributed to the exam and success by the young person or family, or by their teachers, the importance given to the achievements to be obtained through the exam, expectations about the future and uncertainty.
Contrary to previous years, this year, exam anxiety seems to have increased due to the long break in education, the expectations for changes in the exam and education system, and the uncertainty about the future.
How do we recognize exam anxiety?
Your child's restlessness, anxiety, uneasiness, distress, fear of failure, reluctance to study, tremor in the hands, trembling in the voice, sweating, palpitation, breathlessness, especially during the exam If you experience a few of the symptoms of shortness of breath, dry mouth, feeling of anxiety, disturbances in sleep patterns and appetite, difficulty in focusing and maintaining attention, decreased self-confidence, stomach and headache, it is most likely that your child is experiencing exam anxiety. There may be a significant decrease in success. He may lose his interest in studying, avoid studying, postpone it all the time, refuse to talk about it or pass it off with misleading information about it.
How do we deal with exam anxiety?
First of all, we realize this anxiety. It would be a good start to express to your child that you understand and understand. Thus, you will have started the conversation on this subject and given the opportunity to express himself. It would be good to talk about what the exam means, what the meaning of the exam is. In the meantime, it will be very useful to review whether you reflect your own anxieties and expectations about the exam, to see the exam as a tool rather than an end, and to convey this message.
There are many points that you can support your child in coping with exam anxiety. For example, you can help him change his study habits and attitudes towards the exam. Diary to manage time well You can recommend him to plan activities, pay attention to nutrition and sleep patterns. While giving these suggestions, you should be careful to comply with his limits, give most of the responsibility to him, be both attentive and realistic, and support peer relations.
When to seek psychiatric support?
If anxiety significantly affects your child's daily activities and relationships, if both you and your child have difficulty in coping with anxiety, if the interaction between you is impaired, if your child is dealing with inappropriate coping repetitive ways, angry behavior, or signs of introversion, you should seek psychiatric help.
Whatever you can do or think, start.
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