5 Ways to Ease Anxiety During Exams

I have really bad testing anxiety. Like break out into hives and almost have a heartattack bad testing anxiety. I've learned how to manage it over the years, and you can too! Check out these five great steps YOU can take to put yourself in the right frame of mind to ACE that exam.

1. Rub some eucalyptus or lavender oil on the inside of your wrist and behind your ear. Just putting it on should calm you, but if you still feel stressed close your eyes, rub the inside of your wrist and smell it. Remind yourself that you are okay, and you are under control.

2. Before you begin, have a roadmap. For example, when I took the AP English Language exam, we had to write 3 essays in 120 minutes. That sounded super daunting, so I broke it down. I’d split it up into 40 minutes for an essay, then into 3 minutes to brainstorm, 3 minutes to write the introduction, 10 minutes for each body paragraph and 4 minutes for the conclusion. Slowing down, and breaking things up helped me focus on accomplishing little goals rather than being overwhelmed by a large and daunting task ahead of you.

3. Stretch often. Taking 30 seconds to roll your shoulders, shake out your hands, massage the back of your neck, etc. will make all the difference. It grounds you because doing something to remind yourself of your physical condition can distract you and help you break away from your mental stress. I call them my little brain breaks.

4. Get a good night’s sleep. That extra three hours you want to stay up studying? I have bad news for you, it’s not going to work. Your brain has long since shut off, and the little bit you’ll grasp isn’t enough to make up for how tired and sluggish you’ll feel the next morning. A little sleep, lots of water, and a good breakfast can seriously go a long way.

5. If possible, bring yourself a comfort snack. Make it one you don’t eat often and bring it to every exam you can. My grandma used to sneak me chocolate covered raisins before every major test, and just one would instantly calm my nerves.

What great tips do you have for beating testing anxiety? Let me know!