Is there help for test anxiety or stress?
September 30th, 2009 | by Michael |
Brenda asked:
My daughter has a very difficult time taking tests. I think she gets anxiety and draws blank. Or she stresses herself out and draws blank. What can be done to prevent this? is there some kind of therapy?
PABLO
My daughter has a very difficult time taking tests. I think she gets anxiety and draws blank. Or she stresses herself out and draws blank. What can be done to prevent this? is there some kind of therapy?
PABLO
6 Responses to “Is there help for test anxiety or stress?”
By Recovery4life09 on Oct 3, 2009 | Reply
Does she have an IEP for her problems? I am 18 and got tested by the school psycholoist and they gave me an IEP which is basically a document stating that i get accomodations on tests and the rest of school because i have bad anxiety and other issues with learning and taking tests. You may want to check into that because it really helps in the long run. There are millions of different accomodations that can be arranged for your daughter to fit her personal needs. Average people can have them and so can gifted people. Good luck!!!
Oh and by the way some accomodations i get are: going to a different room without other students realizing it to take my test, have extra time on my test so i dont worry about it the whole time, or i can get my tests read to me or differently formatted to understand it. She can always hand the test in at the same time as the other students and if she needs more time later the teacher will arrange that.
By shaneris5 on Oct 6, 2009 | Reply
Try the weblinks for stress, on page i, in section 42, at and I suggest that you also learn, and teach her a simple relaxation technique, such as the Progressive Muscle Relaxation, in section 11, and/or the EFT version for use in public places, in section 53, and teach her to repeat silently in her mind: “even though I suffer from test anxiety, I deeply and completely accept myself”, as she employs the acupressure tapping/massage, for which she can always say that she has a headache, if anyone asks, and she doesn’t want to tell them about her nervousness in exams.
Tell her that exams just aren’t all that important, and you will love her just as much, whether she does well, or poorly, and that the exam system is only there to identify those who are academically gifted, so that the majority of people, who aren’t, will be directed into fields where they will be happier, later on in life. So she needn’t try TOO HARD.
There is nothing worse than, after all your hard study, you walk into your exam and your mind goes blank. Your nerves and anxiety get the better of you and your brain simply stops working properly!
This is a well-known phenomenon in psychology - known as state-dependant memory. The state you are in determines what you can remember. If you are in a very different state to when you learned, it is hard to recall things.
If you are very anxious, your brain is simply in the wrong state for thinking!
How hypnosis helps you beat exam nerves and remember your facts!
Hypnosis is great for re-training your brain to respond with the sort of emotional response that will help your performance. So in an exam, you need calmness tinged with a little excitement to give you that extra edge. A little stress actually improves memory and recall!
Most people are suggestible, to some degree, so you could either seek professional hypnotherapy, or, quicker, cheaper, and more conveniently: - Exam Nerves, or (free) - anxiety.
By Arlene on Oct 7, 2009 | Reply
Try to suggest to your daughter to take meditation. Meditation is good in our health. This can relieve stress and can help to relax our mind. There are lot of meditation techniques that you can choose to. You can get free online guides on how to do this.
By anonymous brandy on Oct 7, 2009 | Reply
Here are some great natural remedies for stress…
I hope this helps!
Have a great day!
By Harry B on Oct 10, 2009 | Reply
Have you looked into Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)? While it’s something that professionals use to treat a range of problems you can also learn how to do it yourself. It’s fairly simple, very logical and very effective for dealing with worry, stress and anxiety. There are many low cost resources which can help you work your way through this, including books and DVDs.
In CBT you can learn how work out your thoughts and feelings about the things that cause you stress and to test your assumptions and beliefs about them, especially where unhelpful or unrealistic. By trying out new ways of reacting you can essentially change your behaviour to something more positive and useful. Sometimes the best approach is simply to sit down and think your way through your problems.
I do hope this helps - good luck!
By A M on Oct 13, 2009 | Reply
Get a therapist or a psychiatrist note and she can receive special accommodation and she could even take test in a special place at school supervised and on another day when the class test is taken.