Exam periods are those when students suffer the most anxiety of the entire academic year. Many students suffer from the idea of not being enough, or even panic that they will come up blank and fail on test day despite having achieved the necessary knowledge.
Anxiety can mainly appear in two different ways. Exam anxiety can appear on the day of the exam and is known as situational anxiety. It can also appear before the exam, and then we are talking about anticipatory anxiety.
The most worrying thing about this headache is its impact on the student’s self-esteem. This exposure can become very dangerous and affect very negatively the student’s self-esteem if managing the pressure of the moment has not been learned. These negative thoughts can be focused on the student himself and his low self-esteem, or maybe on repercussions he may have with his parents, for example, if he does not pass or does not get a good grade in that particular exam.
However, it is never the student’s fault, but we should learn some techniques to reduce this anxiety versus the exams.
How to relax for an exam
Mindfulness exercises can help to relax and learn to deal with the pressure of each situation. In this way, people who practice mindfulness are calm and have high self-esteem to know what to do and how to do it in each situation.
Mindfulness (which means full awareness) is a meditation practice that focuses on paying conscious attention to thoughts, emotions, and the environment that surrounds us without judging it, with an attitude of acceptance and non-reaction. In this way, we develop a greater awareness of ourselves and the world around us. This practice reduces stress and anxiety and has benefits for mental and physical health.
When we practice Mindfulness, we strengthen different brain areas related to attention, concentration, memory, cognitive, flexibility, and emotional well-being.