What To Do If You Have A Panic Attack During The Test
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Josh Anish is the Senior Editor at Knewton, where he helps students with the Verbal components of GMAT prep. Learn more about the company's GMAT course or read Knewton articles on BTG. |
It’s every test-taker’s nightmare. You sit down to the same kinds of problems you’ve aced on the practice tests a dozen times. And all of a sudden, you can’t figure them out. You can barely remember your own name. Your heart pounds. Your hands and legs shake. Your stomach ties itself in knots and your mouth dries. Stage fright happens to everyone from beginners to the most seasoned professionals. It can strike at any time leading up to the performance. Anticipation can be enough to set off a panic attack, even if the dreaded event is far in the future.
How do you break the panic cycle? The good news is that with a little practice, you can bring yourself out of any anxiety experience quickly. You want to practice some relaxation techniques ahead of time, so if you do find yourself getting panicky during the test, you have some tried and true strategies to deploy. Your fight-or-flight reflexes are fast. Your conscious mind is slow. The rush of adrenaline you get in a panic attack can itself be stressful and can set off new wave of panic. Best to head these situations off at the pass.
The most important thing to remember in a panic attack is to be forgiving of yourself. Bullying yourself only makes you more anxious. The next most important thing is to breathe. Yes, you’re breathing already. But if you focus your attention on your breathing, it can powerfully and swiftly relax you. Breathe slowly and deeply, through your nose, all the way in and all the way out.
A lot of anxiety is caused by a feeling of uncertainty. It helps to reassert the aspects of the situation that you’re certain about. Retain a feeling of power and control. You took the practice tests, you paid attention in class, you put in regular study time. Your default state is high-performance. The only thing you can do wrong is get in your own way.
Focus on the present. Ask yourself questions. How am I doing right now? What can I do to make myself feel better? Is it time to kick off the shoes, have some more coffee, sit up straighter, stretch my shoulders? There’s no wrong way to relax yourself. There are many different paths up the mountain. Visualize a respected older authority figure approving of you.
Acceptance feels better than avoidance. Remind yourself that the only way out is through. Focus on the moment of experience rather than the future. Focus on process rather than results. Remind yourself that nothing catastrophic is going to happen. Worst comes to worse, you take the test again. Focus on realistic outcomes rather than dark fantasies. Even severe panic attacks can pass as swiftly as they came if you can relax yourself during them.
Jim on September 22nd, 2009 at 8:07 am
Very nice article describing panic attacks and test anxiety. Much of what you said is precisely what happens. Most importantly, you brought up the point of not avoiding axneity. This will make things much worse. Sometimes the problem can be fear of having a panic attack. The best solution is to remove that fear by facing it in the right way.
The anxiety will disappear as long as the cycle is broken. It's all about changing the way you think by taking the right actions.
Here is another resource for help with anxiety
Why Do People Have Panic Attacks? on October 14th, 2009 at 3:19 pm
Really nice article. People should aware of this panic attack. This articles should spread to more people.Most people experience panic attacks out of the blue and the root cause is unknown. Besides the cure is also not readily available…Panic attack is unique for each individual and is deemed to be individual’s battle, as such each panic attacks sufferer need to find out what is the best cure for themselves.
Themexamination on December 5th, 2009 at 6:48 pm
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