Before the exam or during the exam season, many candidates will have exam anxiety, fear and dread of the exam. The manifestations are: inability to concentrate in class, very anxious, immediately before the exam but still can not remember anything; irritable, easy to lose temper for no reason, parents a word of concern can also induce a “bad temper”; fidgety, always feel that they do everything is a waste of time; eat badly, sleep poorly, depressed. If you have any of the above, you should consider whether you are suffering from test anxiety disorder.
Clinical manifestations.
Anxiety is an unpleasant, painful emotional state accompanied by somatic discomfort. Anxiety disorders are a group of neurological disorders with anxiety symptoms as the main clinical manifestation, often containing three groups of symptoms.
1. Somatic symptoms: Patients who are nervous are often accompanied by autonomic hyperfunction, such as panic, shortness of breath, dry mouth, sweating, trembling, flushing, etc. Sometimes there is also a sense of near death, the heart is uncomfortable, feeling that they are going to die, and in severe cases, there is also a sense of loss of control. Or there is always the need to go to the toilet, but there is no content when you go. Or there may be diarrhea and abdominal pain. Some people will have cold hands and feet, cold sweat, nausea and vomiting, or even “fainting in the examination room”.
2. Emotional symptoms: Patients feel that they are in a kind of nervousness, anxiety, fear, dread, apprehension of the inner experience. The object of fear, generally can not say what to fear, just feel afraid.
3. Neuromotor restlessness. Fidgeting, restlessness, rubbing hands and feet, pacing around, increased small movements, hand trembling, inability to concentrate, inability to calm down, in a state of panic and anxiety.
Physical examination and laboratory tests did not show any significant abnormalities, and physical illness and other mental disorders were excluded.
Causes
There are two aspects.
1. One is the individual aspect: that is, the influence of individual physical and mental factors on the level of test anxiety.
(1) Genetic factors: some candidates have different strengths and weaknesses of nerve types due to the influence of their parents’ genes, making some people more sensitive to environmental stimuli and prone to nervous reactions. Prone to test anxiety.
(2) Maturity level: At different ages, the degree of individual test anxiety varies and is related to the individual’s physiological maturity level. Secondary school students begin to mature psychologically and are prone to anxiety when faced with choices about their future.
(3) Health status: Physically healthy, energetic, emotionally stable, and able to face exams properly; people with poor physical health are prone to psychological anxiety about the exams they will face, especially important ones.
2. On the other hand, there are external factors: including family education, school education and social environment factors, various life events and other factors.
Coping methods.
1. Cognitive control
Do not use negative language such as “I’m finished” and “I’m terrible” to imply yourself; do not be intimidated by one or two exam failures or one or two exam errors, do not generalize and think that one exam failure means you can’t do it and lose confidence, but see your past successes. Secondly, appropriately reduce the pressure of the surrounding environment, in response to various concerns, debate with themselves, using rational emotional therapy, correct cognitive bias.
2. Behavior modification
One is relaxation training, and the other is systematic desensitization training. The principle of relaxation training and systematic desensitization training is reciprocal inhibition, the human emotion in the relaxed state, and anxiety is mutually resistant. If the relaxation state appears, it will inevitably inhibit the appearance of anxiety and tension.
Specific operation methods:
1.Benign suggestion method
In the morning, look at the mirror and dress up, admire your neatness and cleanliness, and say to yourself: “I can do it”, “I am great”. Refer to other students’ successful examples around you to encourage yourself. Think about your previous successes and encourage yourself.
2.Improve sleep method
Many students’ “test anxiety” is caused by excessive fatigue from studying and lack of sleep. It is not recommended to “fight at night”, but to develop the habit of taking a nap at noon. Without the spirit of “hanging from the beam and stabbing the head”, people in a state of fatigue, learning efficiency decreases, and emotions will be low. And sufficient sleep can eliminate brain fatigue, in exchange for abundant energy and a clear mind, conducive to learning.
3, exercise anti-anxiety
Students mainly focus on mental activities, and appropriate physical exercise is an effective way to eliminate brain fatigue. Exercise can eliminate some tension chemicals, make muscle fatigue and relax emotional tension.
4.Cultivate interest method
When people are engaged in something they are interested in, their whole body and mind will be engaged in it and forget about their worries and troubles. You can choose singing, reading, excursions and other methods to eliminate fatigue, dissolve worries and stay away from exam anxiety.
5.Emotional catharsis method
Emotional catharsis is an important means to relieve stress and maintain a balanced mind. Faced with the pressure of further education, unsatisfactory results, parental nagging, etc., may make the mood irritable. The following methods can be used: chat, and close friends or relatives chat; cry or laugh, find a suitable place, cry or laugh, vent their inner distress; written release, you can write a diary or letter to release their distress; online exchange, the conditions, friends can be online and computer networks to exchange ideas with friends, to relieve their worries.
6.Game transfer method
Carry out game activities, so that people in the “test anxiety” to participate in it, into the role, forget about fatigue, shift attention, adjust the balance of emotions, get rid of internal worries.
7.Healthy diet
Increase the body nutrition, the exam students’ brain work is intense, energy consumption is large, need a lot of supplemental nutrition. Therefore, it is necessary to try to increase nutritious food.
8.Music healing method
Music can influence people’s emotional behavior and physiological functions. Music can make people relax and make benign changes in their physiological and psychological rhythms. Holy and noble music can purify people’s souls and open up the realm; slow music gives people a sense of security and comfort; clear, elegant and transparent classical music can improve people’s memory and attention; romantic music can stimulate people’s compassion and compassion; popular music can make people emotionally involved; fashion music can release the voice of the heart.
9.Support of society
The support and timely encouragement of parents and teachers do not add to the stress of the candidates.
Help your children by creating a relaxed learning atmosphere for your students and flexibility in choosing their future. Don’t give deadly orders: “You must get into so-and-so school” …… but rather say, “Son, you are free to play, I believe in you.” The trust of elders often turns into the strength of a child’s growth.
Specialized treatment
For the treatment of anxiety disorders, it is generally psychotherapy and medication.
I. Psychotherapy
1.Supportive psychotherapy
2.Cognitive therapy
3.Behavioral therapy
4. Psychoanalytic therapy (less frequently used)
5.Family therapy
Second, drug therapy