How to Deal with Exam Anxiety?
By Mr. Yu Long Ting, Social Worker at Wan Chai Integrated Family Service Centre, St. James' Settlement
Exam anxiety is a specific situational anxiety response that becomes particularly severe before or during exams. Symptoms include insomnia, fever, gastrointestinal discomfort, and difficulty concentrating on studies before exams. During exams, symptoms can include sweating, trembling, stomach pain, headaches, rapid heartbeat, muscle tension, memory loss, mental blankness, and delayed reactions. Multiple symptoms can occur simultaneously.
Students who usually perform well may experience significant setbacks during exams. Many parents and students believe that poor performance is due to a lack of effort or practice. When faced with disappointing results, this belief can exacerbate psychological distress, undermining self-worth and potentially leading to depression. One sufferer shared their experience: during exams (especially during public exams), they would experience severe gastrointestinal distress and anxiety, feeling helpless as their body refused to cooperate. This unforgettable experience was later identified as exam anxiety through medical information, providing relief from the psychological burden. In the past, exam anxiety was often misunderstood as a joke or an excuse for avoiding study responsibilities, leaving affected students feeling ashamed and self-critical.
Clinical experience shows that exam anxiety is caused by excessive study fatigue and lack of sleep, leading to diminishing returns with more practice. Mental blankness and inability to focus are the brain's unconscious ways of self-regulating. One student shared that during a two-hour exam, they suddenly went blank for half an hour. Therefore, parents and students need to learn how to give the brain adequate rest. For students with noticeable anxiety, it is advisable to have nap times after school and to develop regular sleep habits, avoiding late nights. If insomnia or poor sleep quality persists, seeking medical advice early is recommended.
Clinical experience also indicates that parents of anxious students often have high anxiety levels themselves. Parents accustomed to living under high stress may unintentionally transmit their anxiety to their children, who lack the psychological training to cope, leading to frequent breakdowns. Parents should understand the physiological symptoms of anxiety and observe their children's behavior to make effective adjustments.
Moderate, enjoyable exercise can help relieve muscle and nerve tension. Adjusting the daily diet can also help, such as incorporating lotus seeds, lotus roots, red dates, and longan, which have calming effects; bananas, melons, and pineapples, which contain amino acids that help overcome mental depression and relieve tension; onions, which are rich in antioxidants (quercetin) with anti-inflammatory and calming effects; lettuce, spinach, and celery, which can alleviate mental fatigue; and seaweed, which has soothing and calming effects and can improve insomnia. Finally, providing generous affirmation and encouragement to children can give them the positive energy needed to face exam challenges. Since exams are unavoidable, let's learn together how to manage and alleviate anxiety.
