You may have been preparing for the exam for a long time and as the exam approaches, you may be experiencing a visible state of anxiety. You may have difficulty falling asleep, complain about not being able to eat, have a low appetite, or feel a decrease in the pleasure you get from life. So, what is it that makes us so anxious, reduces our appetite, disrupts our sleep, and reduces the pleasure we get from life? Fear or anxiety? In order to answer these questions, it will first be necessary to explain these two concepts.
Fear is a situation that will cause a physical problem for us if it occurs. For example, we are afraid of dogs because their bite will cause physical discomfort. For example, the university exam is just an exam. Will it cause any physical harm to us? We are the ones who make it scary and worrying. Our perspective on that exam.
HOW TO RECOGNIZE EXAM ANXIETY?
Days before taking an exam, if worrying about whether or not you will succeed in the exam occupies your brain excessively and you feel intense anxiety, this is more than that. If anxiety disrupts your daily work, affects your sleep, your sense of eating, and you can hardly think of anything else, you are a candidate for test anxiety. The next day of the exam, if you cannot sleep, if the exam time is approaching like death, if your hands and feet are shaking and you start to sweat coldly while taking the exam. Also, if your brain is pounding during the exam, you do not dare to open the exam paper, and you cannot read the questions because of excitement, it means you have intense exam anxiety.
What are the negative emotions felt?
- What if I fail? fears
- Blaming yourself for not working hard enough
- Judgments that I will definitely not be successful
- Thinking that the time is too insufficient
- Thinking that you do not remember anything and do not know anything
- Frequently frequently thinking about the grade he will get
- Thinking that he is different from others, weaker and incompetent
- Feelings of boredom
- Feeling immobility, restlessness, overactivity
- That the exam results will be disastrous D feeling cold
- Thinking that you will disappoint your family and relatives
- Thinking that even if you die, you wish you would be saved and never be in this situation
- Thinking that if you lose, you will never try again or recover yourself
< br /> What are the physiological symptoms felt?
- Palpitations, irregular heartbeats
- Irregular breathing, air hunger
- Tremors in the hands, feeling of hotness in the body
- Dizziness, fainting, feelings of brain blankness ?
On the contrary, anxiety is something that is necessary for us to a certain extent. Because if we don't feel a little bit of anxiety, if the exam doesn't excite us, it means we don't want it enough. Because it is actually anxiety that draws us to our goal, directs us, and gives us driving force.
So, we can say that test anxiety is a phenomenon that benefits us when it is at a certain level and motivates us to be successful. People who experience exam anxiety are either people who have studied regularly, have full self-confidence, and have not turned the exam into a life-or-death struggle, or they are lazy people who have never studied for their lessons and have no expectations from the exam.
SOME BEHAVIOR CHANGES MAY BE OBSERVED:
Being overly active or, on the contrary, dull:
People with exam stress may experience restlessness, restlessness and involuntary inappropriate behavior caused by this. In this case, they should watch themselves and try to calm down. On the contrary, they may exhibit dull, inactive, introverted behavior. They move away from their loved ones and friends.
Irregularity in time use:
Disorder in the rhythm of life can be observed in all stressed people. Sleeping, eating, and daily work hours may be disrupted. Haste and the feeling of running out of time lead to time loss and other negative consequences. We must be careful not to disrupt our daily rhythm.
Conflict and intolerance situation:
The tension caused by anxiety is not ours. It reduces our tolerance for other people. Aside from the decline in our relationships, we may experience unpleasant conflicts. Conflicts lead to resentment. This worsens our emotional state. We need to accept that people around us may not adequately understand our concerns. Having good relationships relieves us spiritually.
WHAT ARE THE ISSUES THAT NEED TO GET PROFESSIONAL HELP?
Depression:
Depression is a common illness. One in every 4-5 people suffers from depression. Symptoms include sleep disturbances, appetite irregularities, waking up late in the morning, feelings of fatigue, pessimism, inability to enjoy life, restlessness, intolerance and indecisiveness. If these symptoms are felt for 15 days, help should be sought from a psychiatrist and treated quickly. It increases feelings of test anxiety and hopelessness. Indecisiveness and carelessness reduce success.
Severe and generalized anxiety disorders:
It is not only exam anxiety, but also a state of being troubled, restless, anxious and reluctant throughout the day. This situation, which cannot be overcome by any method we have tried and even positive developments are not beneficial, requires professional help. Help should be sought from psychologists and psychiatrists.
Obsessions:
In this syndrome, which can be seen as severe in three out of 100 young people, they are forced to think about a thought that gets stuck in their head and cannot think of anything else. There is a state of being. In addition to academic symptoms such as re-reading the line he read, not being sure of what he read, religious, sexual obsessions, absurd obsessions, excessive cleaning, excessive orderliness, symmetry obsession, etc. It shows itself in its shapes. Help from psychiatrists and psychologists is needed.
Sleep disorders:
Inability to fall asleep, bad dreams, sleep disruption, lasting almost every day for 1 month. It is a state of being sleepy during the day. Help should be sought from psychiatrists.
DEALING WITH EXAM ANXIETY:
We can do two types of work to reduce our anxiety about the exam. The first of these is mental and the other is physical practice.
A-) MENTAL PRACTICES
We do mental practices because we Our anxiety and the emotions that cause us excitement are shaped by our thoughts. The thoughts we need to change to reduce our anxiety are as follows:
University exam is just one of the ways to be happy and successful in life.
1- University exam is the only way to be successful and happy in life. If we have such a thought, our anxiety is likely to increase. If we think logically, the university exam is just one of the ways that leads us to success and happiness in life. It's not the only option. There are millions of people who could not pass the university exam but achieved success and happiness in life. Even if we cannot get into university, we can be happy and successful in different fields.
2- I have to pass the exam. I must pass the exam. Passing the exam is a matter of desire and choice. Instead of thinking like "I must succeed" or "I must go to this school", we should think like "I don't want to pass the exam, I want to go to that school". Statements such as "I should" and "I should" turn thoughts from being wishes into laws. There is certainty in the laws. However, a person whose one wish is not fulfilled may have another wish fulfilled.
3- If I don't win, I will be devastated, I will swallow the pill, how will I look at the neighbors' face, how will I look at my family's face, it will be very scary. Such thoughts have absolutely no connection with reality and do not contribute to us in any positive way. Try to think more positively. Think about the good and successful things you have done in the past. Think about the successful exam results you received during your school years and the things you did well. Don't say, "I'm stupid, I can't do anything anyway." These types of thoughts both distract you from your goal and make you anxious.
4- The exam result shows whether I am good or bad. The exam is just a knowledge test. Therefore, it is the evaluation of the knowledge gained by the student through his interests, abilities and study habits. It's not an evaluation of your personality. Do not equate your exam success with your personality value. Tests applied in the exams; They are not personality tests, but knowledge and achievement tests.
5- Failing the exam will be the end of everything. This is a faulty mindset. It makes sense Even if your chances of passing the exam are very high, think of another goal for yourself. Consider what this goal will bring to your life. Your first choice is to achieve your main goal by being successful in the exam. If you are not successful, your second choice will be your choice. We want you to settle in your first choice. However, settling for your second choice is not the end of the world. If you can digest this thought, your effort and desire to study will not decrease, but you will be saved from the exam stress that will tie your hands.
B-) PHYSICAL APPLICATIONS
BREATHING EXERCISES
FIRST STEP TO CONTROL YOUR BODY: BREATHING CONTROL
Learning to breathe:
We know that we have autonomous (self-working) organs. Our heartbeats, blood pressure, and body temperature are examples of this system. These organs or functions operate outside of our direct control and will. However, it is possible to partially or completely control these organs and functions through training and exercise.
The first step towards controlling the body is to control breathing. Because, in one sense, breathing is an activity that we direct with our will, as we breathe when we want and hold our breath when we want. However, on the other hand, breathing is an activity that is carried out completely autonomously by a center in the brainstem, according to the balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood.
Controlling autonomous activities must start from "controlling breathing". At the same time, learning to breathe correctly and deeply is the most important step towards learning to relax.
Just as breathing itself is a way of relaxation, it is also used as a part of the exercise in all relaxation exercises. In addition, breathing exercises are the easiest exercise to implement in the flow of daily life.
What is the importance of deep breathing?
Correct and deep breathing itself directly dilates the vessels and increases blood flow (and therefore blood flow). It has the feature of allowing oxygen to reach the extreme and deepest points of the body. During a panic attack, blood flows from the surface of the body to the inside.
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