Exam Nerves

Exam nerves are a universal difficulty that people of all ages experience, exam nerves are not just confined to teenagers, mature students indeed anyone who is required to sit down and compete a task which will later be judged and marked according to performance will inevitably create anxiety. Some “experts” believe this stress can be used as a motivating factor to increase performance, personally I disagree.

There is a link between stage fright, or / and “choking” as its nicknamed where a person must “put themselves out there”. And here is the common denominator. The exposure of the individuals’ sense of self and the resulting perception he or she will give the world in the event that they are not successful. So the negative is the enemy, and also the achilles heel.

A very simplistic approach but a very effective approach is to:

• Believe in Yourself and this like study takes practice. This can be achieved through self-appreciation using visualisation, “seeing yourself” having successfully completed the exam / test etc and connecting with the sense of achievement you will experience after the event.
• Acknowledge the nerves, so many people bottle up the natural emotions associated with any measurement of their ability, they hide it, parents and friends say “don’t be worrying, it will be all right” this is not good, if you are worried go and talk to someone, this simple process is a huge release and relief.

High achieving parents and siblings add to exam nerves, there is an invisible expectation that you must “at least” do as well as the previous family members, with this weight on your shoulders you are pressurised before you even take the exam.

The Therapy: The presenting issue will be dealt with in a relaxed initial consultation which will allow for all aspects of the therapeutic process to be discussed and all questions answered openly, fully and confidentially.

©2018 Des Canning. All Right Reserved.
Design by Taeko Web Design