For students, anxiety or fear regarding tests may crop up. This is understandable, considering that tests often carry significant weight in determining a student’s final grade in the class. Unfortunately, this fear, especially when not controlled properly, can hinder a student’s academic success. Let’s take a look at the mindset of military special forces to see what we can learn about dealing with and controlling fear, so as to improve performance under stress.
Lessons from Soldiers
A study was done about soldiers facing combat. It was found that special forces soldiers’ levels of cortisol (a stress hormone) and overall fear actually declined once they were notified of an impending enemy attack. Why? Once they knew an attack was coming, the soldiers focused on taking action to prepare. They fortified their defenses, double checked to be sure their gear and weapons were in proper working condition, and readied ammunition magazines. They knew what to do in order to prepare, and they did it. Deliberate action and preparation trumped fear.
Although you may not be a special forces soldier, there is a valuable lesson in this. By taking clear decisive action to prepare properly, you can mitigate and control your fear or anxiety in regards to tests. Practice good study habits. When I was an undergraduate student, I tried to take the attitude of “I am starting to study for the final exam from day one of this class.” Study consistently, steadily, a little bit every day. Ask questions when there is a topic you do not understand or have difficulty with. You can ask your instructor, ask a classmate who you know is doing well in class, or hire a private tutor for help. There are plenty of people who will be willing to help you if you simply ask.
Lessons from Athletes
In the book Winning Fights by Dr. Phillip Stephens, the first principle for victory that the author mentions is preparation. If you were a professional athlete, would you wait for the day before the championship game to practice? Of course not. You would prepare well in advance, training hard on a regular basis. In that manner, when the championship game comes up on the calendar, you are prepared, calm, and ready for competition. You can apply this same strategy of preparation to your academic studies. By preparing properly, to the best of your ability, when exam day comes you can be calm and ready for the exam.
The advice presented so far has focused on preparation before exam day. In regard to the day of the actual test, there is something else you can do to help alleviate test anxiety – breathe deeply. I would suggest box breathing, also known as combat breathing because it is taught to soldiers to help them stay calm in the stress of battle. Each leg of the box is a count to four. Breathe in (while counting to four), hold your breath (while counting to four), breathe out (while counting to four), and hold again (while counting to four). I just described one full cycle of box breathing. Try doing this for a few cycles to help calm your nerves if you feel test anxiety creeping up on you during exam day.
Preparation before, and deep breathing during a test – calm your nerves and deal with test anxiety successfully.
What do you think? Please leave a comment. Thanks for reading!