Test Anxiety in Students: How Parents Can Help Manage Stress and Improve Performance
Nervousness is a human trait. We all must have experienced it more often than once in our lifetime. For example, when we meet new people, visit crowded places, give an important presentation or even while watching a nail-biting finish to a cricket match, the perception of our brain as to prepare ourselves for any possible outcome makes us anxious in that very moment. Such are the characteristics of test anxiety in students. You might wonder if your child experiences test anxiety as well? In fact, like many other parents, you might as well not know it.
It is rightly said that identifying a problem is the first step towards solving it. Test Anxiety is a common problem that can quite possibly affect children of all ages. In fact, you might as well be unaware of it like many other parents. But you should not worry! With the right exam anxiety counselling, you can help your child overcome their fear of exams and eventually improve their performance.
Test anxiety in students can manifest in many ways, though physical symptoms like sweaty palms, stiff legs and emotional symptoms like excessive worry and fear are among the most prevalent ones. It could occasionally look a bit excessive, but don’t worry. As a parent, you play an important role in helping your child manage this anxiety and eventually overcome it. Let’s look into some practical strategies which will help transform your child’s test anxiety into a triumph over them!
Understanding Test Anxiety
As we just discussed, test anxiety in students is a common psychological challenge among students which becomes evident in the form of excessive fear and worry in them. This is often centered around academic assessments. While analysing test anxiety in your children, you should consciously notice certain physical symptoms if present. These include excessive sweating, rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, nausea, and headaches. Along with them, certain emotional symptoms also occur frequently that include feelings of fear, worry and self-doubt. These symptoms can significantly impair your child’s concentration, memory recall power, and their overall performance in tests.
Usually, these cognitive symptoms of test anxiety are triggered by various factors, including:
Fear of failure
A student must do well in exams; this mindset often sets a sense of fear and anxiety in them. This fear is basically of not meeting the expectations as desired and eventually disappointing their parents and teachers in case they fail to perform. The fear of failure can come in different ways, such as worrying about making mistakes, fearing negative evaluations, or anticipating public humiliation.
Perfectionism
The fear of failure is aggravated further more by perfectionism. As a parent having well enough life experience, you must agree that all human beings have ebbs and flows in their life. No one is born perfect and we have good days and bad days. Thus, to be in a relentless pursuit of always performing well, leads a person to unrealistic expectations and eventually to self-criticism.
Negative self-talk
Often characterised by doubting one’s own abilities and having negative thoughts about it, Negative self-talk can further intensify anxiety relating to exams. Engaging in such self-doubt can lead anyone to developing a negative mindset, that eventually has its effect on their concentration and focusing abilities.
Lack of preparation
As like a vicious cycle of one thing leading to another, losing concentration lastly leads to inadequate preparation of exams. Poor study habits and not managing the time effectively makes children fall short of their desired preparation and eventually can heighten the anxiety levels in them, making them feel overwhelmed.
Effective Strategies for Parental Support
Moving forward in the blog, we already know by now what test anxiety is and how crucial it is to identify cognitive symptoms of test anxiety. Being a significant obstacle in the academic development of any student, it is necessary for you as a parent to help them manage their anxiety with exam anxiety counselling and eventually achieve their true academic potential. There are a few effective strategies that you can implement, in order to create a supportive environment for your children, helping them grow in their confidence and lead on to do better in exams.
Few among these exam stress management tips for students include:
1. Open Communication:
Communicating openly with your child is the first step you should take as a parent, in order to understand and address their concerns in life. This way you help create a safe space for them where they are not hideous about their thoughts and rather feel comfortable expressing their feelings and fears. It’s a common saying that communication is the elixir that quenches the thirst for understanding. Therefore, by listening actively to your children rather than dismissing their worries, you can eventually build trust with them and help alleviate their anxiety.
2. Positive Reinforcement:
You must have heard many successful people talk about their journey and explain the importance of small victories. As a parent, you should celebrate the efforts and progress of your children rather than celebrating their grades only and comparing them to other fellow students. Few years ago, it was the former and one of the most successful Indian cricket team captain MS Dhoni who explained the importance of process over the result. This focusing over the positive aspects of one’s learning and growth is called positive reinforcement. Apparently, this helps your child significantly in building a positive perception of self and eventually boosting their confidence.
3. Effective Study Habits:
For academic success of any student, regular and effective study habits are just as essential. Having a consistent study routine is good to begin with, where the emphasis should be on quality rather than quantity. These exam stress management tips for students will help your child studying regularly every day for four to five hours in the longer run than studying ten hours for a day or two and then losing complete interest thereafter. Our human brain thrives on regularity and as a parent you should encourage the use of effective study techniques like active recall, spaced repetition, and mind mapping. It is rightly said that:
“Motivation gets you started. Habit keeps you going.”
4. Healthy Lifestyle:
In the digital age that we live, the world of internet that accumulates everything there is, to itself, lies at the tip of our fingers. There is no limit to what it can offer, from plethora of educational content from all around the globe, to the dopamine boost that can make a sane person scroll down his screen for hours. Therefore, it becomes essential for you as a parent to limit the amount of screen time your child gets. A healthy lifestyle plays a crucial role in managing stress and anxiety. Ensure your child gets adequate sleep, eats a balanced diet, and engages in regular physical activity.
5. Mindfulness and Relaxation Techniques
As a parent, you should encourage relaxation techniques like deep breathing and meditation to help your children get hold of their subconscious self and have patience to deal with any adversities which their life has to offer. Mindfulness and relaxation techniques can help your child in managing stress and anxiety effectively. Teach them mindfulness techniques to calm their mind and body, to reduce tension and eventually promote relaxation.
Professional Help When Needed
As test anxiety in students is a psychological problem, it becomes important for you as a parent to determine its severity. In case it is persistently making some significant impact on their academic performance and on their overall well-being, it is best to see a therapist. Remember to deal with your child and their problems with patience and you can always help them overcome cognitive symptoms of test anxiety and achieve their full potential.
Conclusion
By understanding the root causes of test anxiety in students and implementing these effective strategies, you can empower your child to face exams with confidence. Remember, it’s not just about the grades; it’s about fostering a positive mindset and building resilience. At Subbu Innovative Classes, we offer Test Anxiety Programme for your children where we not only provide exam stress management tips for students but also exam anxiety counselling to them. To know more about it and help your children achieve their full potential, Contact us for more details or mail us at info@innovativeclasses.com.