Periodically repeating your affirmations during the day makes them more effective.Take a few minutes to think about the things you’ve just written down. Then rewrite them in order
like this: List the statements you most associate with your stress and anxiety first and put the least
disturbing items last. Chances are, the top of the list is a fairly accurate description of exactly how
you react to test anxiety, both physically and mentally. The later items usually describe your fears
(disappointing Mom and Dad, looking bad, etc.). As you write the list, you’re forming a hierarchy of
items so you can deal first with the anxiety provokers that bug you most. Very often, taking care of
the major items from the top of the list goes a long way toward relieving overall testing anxiety. You
probably won’t have to bother with the stuff you placed last.
VERY SUPERSTITIOUS
Stress expert Stephen Sideroff, PhD, tells of a client who always stressed out before, during,
and even after taking tests. Yet, she always got outstanding scores. It became obvious that
she was thinking superstitiously—subconsciously believing that the great scores were a
result of her worrying. She didn’t trust herself and believed that if she didn’t worry she
wouldn’t study hard enough. Sideroff convinced her to take a risk and work on relaxing
before her next test. She did, and her test results were still as good as ever—which broke her
cycle of superstitious thinking.Make the Most of Your Prep Time
Lack of control is one of the prime causes of stress. A ton of research shows that if you don’t have a
sense of control over what’s happening in your life, you can easily end up feeling helpless and
hopeless. So, just having concrete things to do and to think about—taking control—will help reduce
your stress.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Take one minute to list the areas of the test that you are good at. They can be general (“algebra”) or
specific (“quadratic equations”). Put down as many as you can think of and, if possible, time