A FEW TIPS FOR COPING WITH TEST ANXI I'.TY
As you can |u«u, the best tip lor coping with
test anxiety Is to attend classes and keep up with
asslitnaients and reading throughout the ter*. How
ever , If you've 1st things get behind, here are
soaie essentials to get you through finals!
1) Try not to poll "all night era" ss you wind
tip draining energy and perhaps depleting
aenta! resources at test tine. A good
nights sleep can be your best bet.
2) When you do study, allow yourself to feel
confident that you are absorbing Informa
tion you will be able to retain and draw
upon when necessary. After all, you are
an Intelligent human belngl
1) Hake sure you have eaten a well balanced
seal or snack before a test. And remem
ber: too much protein or too large a meal
can leave you feeling dull and tired. Too
much sugar or caffeine can make you too
Jittery to think straight.
A) Take some time Just before your test to
calm yourself. Test anxiety can be great
ly reduced (and brain function enhanced)
by taking a few moments to breathe slow
ly and deeply. Surround yourself with a
mental Image of quiet confidence as you
breathe In refreshing oxygen and breathe
out tension. Clve yourself a silent sug
gestion such as, "I an calm and In con
trol. I am refreshed and alert. I an
ready to do well on this test."
Remember, BE POSITIVE! Now, CO FOR IT I
Foncy Prescott
St reus Management Peer Health Advisor
HOW NOT TO HANDLE STRESS
"Let'* go have a drink and relax." How
often do wc hear thia on caapusT Thera'a no
denying college students lead atraaaful llvea.
There are the preaaurea of aldteras and finals,
of aonegi, of Beating new people and the un
known future after college. So, all around ua
people are uaing alcohol to relax, to party,
to forget and to have a good tlac.
Unfortunately, alcohol la not the beat
way to relax and gat rid of that atreaa. Al
cohol actually adda atreaa to your body. It
makes the liver work harder, acta aa a depre
ssant on your alnd and can be toxic when taken
In large quantities or alxed with other druga.
So be aware that drinking doesn't nece
ssarily aean relaxlngl
Soae delicious non-alcoholic drinks:
8 or. glass filled with Ice
Add 3/4 diet 7 UP
splash of orange juice
Perrier and a slice of line
Kingsbury non-alcoholic beer
Pam Trapp
Substance Abuse Peer Health Advisor
MANAGING STRESS TO
MANAGE YOUR GRADES
All article in the Journal of College Student
Peraonnel haa aoet Interesting Implications (or
low-ai hlcvtng college students. John M. Wllllaaa
and Ttmaaa W. Decker studied a group o( freahaan
and soplmaorea who were on acadeailc probation.
Williams and Decker found that combining stress
reduction techniques with tine aanageaent and goal
setting significantly reduced stress, and also la
proved tha students' CPAs.
Students with low CPAa have been shown to wi
pe r 1 anra wire anxiety than high-achieving students.
Wllliaas and Decker believed that it was important
to address this anxiety with a nuaber of techniques.
Thus they split students into two groups In thnlr
study: those who would racelva only goal setting
and tiae aanageaent training, and those who would
receive goal setting, tins aanageaent and also
stress reduction training.
The results of the study era interesting.
The stress reduction group experienced lees stress
at the end of a IS week aaaeeter than those who
only received goal setting and tiae aanageaent
training. The stress reduction group had an in
crease In their average CPA froa s pretraining 1.01
to a followup 2.01. The group receiving only tiae
aanageaent and goal setting Increased froa a pre
training 1.1) to a followup 1.32. The stress re
duction group's CPA average Increase froa a D to a
C nay have been cauaed by other factors. However,
it alght be valuable for students struggling with
low grades to learn soae stress aanageaent tech
niques along with goal setting and tiae aanageaent.
Nik* Classlar
Straa* Manageaent Paer Health Advisor
ccMPOHurrs or prop** breath im
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btaphragswit lc
Sa»oth- no Jcrka or
Irregularities
Constant- no pause*
between Inhalation
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exhalations are longer
than Inhalations- ?:1
Posture Is straight
and roml'ort able
6. Regular rhythai
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9. Blow
9- HI lent
10. Centle