Stress and self-assessment

Stress is a bodily response, not something that happens to us.

That means you can do something about it; you are not merely a helpless victim of circumstance. No matter what or how significant the stressors are in your life, you can learn to respond in a less destructive, more positive way.

You can be in control!

Stress results from any threat, physical or psychological. Even if the mind merely imagines a problem, the body responds as if the danger were real. Determine how to make life happier and more rewarding by taking a healthy attitude toward stress.

Stress is an everyday fact of life and it is any change that you must adjust to. We usually think of stress as adverse events (illness, injury, death of a loved one). Still, stress can also be positive (getting a new job, moving, travel, a new baby).

Falling in love can, for some people, be as stressful as losing out of love.

• Fatigue
• Insomnia (which may turn into hypersomnia)
• Exhaustion
• Health problems (such as a change in appetite, headaches, digestive issues)

• Hyperactivity
• Difficulty with concentration
• Inability to attach importance to anything other than this incident
• Flashbacks
• Under-activity
• Nightmares
• Startle reactions
• Memory disturbances

• Fear
• Guilt
• Emotional numbing
• Anger-which may manifest by:
• Scapegoating, Irritability,
• Frustration with bureaucracy,
• Violent fantasies.
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Feelings of helplessness
• Amnesia for the event

1. Your environment
2. Your body
3. Your thoughts

"4 by 4" Method

1. Sit straight up in your chair in a good posture position
2. Breath in for 4 seconds/ hold for 4 seconds/ breath out 4 seconds
3. Push belly out on the inhalation allow it to recede on the exhalation

1. Inhale through the nose until the lungs cannot retain any more air
2. Quickly, with the mouth open, breathe in an extra breath
3. Slowly exhale through the mouth
4. Repeat three times

Chair grab

• Put your feet flat on the floor
• With your hands, grab underneath the chair.
• Push down with your feet and pull up on your chair simultaneously for about five seconds
• Relax for five to ten seconds
• Repeat the procedure two or three times
• Relax all your muscles except those used to take the test

Body parts

• Flex and relax muscles (5 seconds each), starting with the head and working down sequentially to the feet.

1. Think of a real or imaginary relaxing scene representing total serenity and well-being. Try to visualize this scene in vivid detail as if you were there, looking through your own eyes.
2. Hold this relaxing scene in your imagination for several minutes.

• "No matter what I do, I will not pass the course."
• "I am no good at math, so why should I try?"
• "I cannot remember the answers or I have forgotten how to do the problems. I am going to fail this test."
• "I failed this course last semester and I am going to flunk out again this semester."

To stop thoughts during class or a test, silently shout to yourself, "stop" or "stop thinking about that." After your silent shout, either relax or repeat one of your positive self-talk statements. You may have to shout to yourself several times during a test or homework to control negative self-talk. After every shout, use a different relaxation technique/scene or positive self-talk statement.

• "I failed the course last semester, but I can now use my study/ math skills to pass this course."
• "I went blank on the last test, but I now know how to reduce test anxiety."
• "I know that with hard work, I will pass math."
• "I prepared for this test and will do the best I can."
• "I feel good about myself and my abilities. I will not worry about that complex problem, and I'm going to use all my test time and check for careless errors. Even if I don't get the grade I want on this test, it is not the end of the world."

Thought stopping works because it interrupts the worry response before it can cause high anxiety or negative emotions.

During the interruption, you can replace negative self-talk with positive self-talk statements or relaxation. Students with high worry anxiety should practice this technique three days to one week before taking a test.

Contact the campus counselor if you have additional questions about reducing test anxiety/negative self-talk statements.