Helping Children To Overcome Examination Anxiety                                        

By Rachna Buxani, Counsellor, Delhi Private School, Sharjah 

Test Anxiety is almost universal.  In fact, it is unusual to find a child who doesn't approach a big test without a high level of anxiety. Test anxiety can cause a host of problems in children, such as upset stomach, headache, loss of focus, fear, irritability, anger and even depression.

Anxiety creates a kind of "noise" in he brain that blocks our ability to retrieve what's stored in the memory and also greatly impairs our ability to comprehend and reason. Feelings such as frustration, fear, anger and anxiety negatively affect the synchronized activity of the brain and the nervous system, which facilitates our ability to think more clearly.

Research has shown that providing children with tools and strategies that build both emotional and healthy physical habits when preparing for a test can help them overcome test anxiety and the associated symptoms, while improving their ability to prepare and perform on critical testing.

Here are a few tips to help your children be better prepared for test taking.

Practice the neutral tool: When your child has uncomfortable feelings about whether hey will do well on the test, ask him to practice the neutral tool. It's important to catch negative mind loops that reinforce self-doubt or uncomfortable feelings. Every time he catches a negative thought repeating itself, ask him to stop the loop and practice going to neutral. Have him start by breathing deeply. While he's breathing, ask him to try and find an attitude of calmness about the situation. Tell him to do this in the days leading up to the test, right before and during the test.

Address the what if questions: A lot of times before we have to do something like a test, much of the anxiety we feel is a build-up from negative "what-if" thoughts. "What if I fail, what if I cant can't remember anything, or what if I run out of time." Ask you child to try writing a what-if question that is positive and can help to take the big deal out of question and help him to see things in a different way. Examples of these kinds of questions are, "What if I can remember more than I think I can?",  "What if I feel calmer than I think I can?"

Think good thoughts: Science is showing that good-feelings like appreciation can actually help your brain work better. When your child feels nervous or anxious, have him try to remember something that makes him feel good. Maybe his pet or how he felt when he got a big hug from you. After he remembers how it felt, ask him to hold that feeling for 10-20 seconds or more. This tool should be practiced right before the big test.

Get enough sleep: Big tests require a lot of energy and stamina to be able to focus for several hours. Make sure your child gets at least 8 to 10 hours of sleep the night before the test.

Have fun:  Do something fun the night before to take your child's mind off the test. That way his mind and emotions are relaxed leading to the test.

Eat a healthy breakfast: The brain needs a lot of energy to maintain focus on a big test for several hours. Ensure that your child eats a hearty and healthy breakfast, including complex carbohydrates and proteins to make his energy last al long as possible. For a snack food, have him bring simple foods such as peanut butter, cheese and crackers or a burrito to sustain energy until lunch.

Getting stressed out during exams is natural, but we have to teach our children healthy ways of coping with it.  Practicing these tips in advance of and during the test can definitely help children limit test anxiety and perform better on their schoolwork.           

Rachna Buxani, with an M.Ed in School Counseling from Suffolk University in Boston and a B.A. in Psychology with a concentration in Child and Youth from Eastern Connecticut State University, USA has specialised in Middle and High School Counseling. Rachna's expertise is in assessment and management of problems related to adolescence. She would be regularly writing on parenting issues on womenone.org and would be providing answers to readers' queries related to it.