In the scenario described above, a young man was going to have a severe anxiety attack and was able to ride it out, eventually finding himself in a position where he couldn’t talk his way out of having an attack. Now, he’s feeling the effects of that panic attack, but how much worse would it get?
Sometimes bad things happen. You wake up in the morning with a headache, but you can’t seem to shake that feeling. At first you think you’re having a heart attack, but as you continue to think about it, you realize that this is a panic attack and not a heart attack.
Even if the situation described above were a true one, wouldn’t that help in your attempts to learn how to manage a panic attack? By realizing that it isn’t the actual situation that is causing the problem, but rather the way that you’re thinking about it, you would be able to deal with it more effectively. So, when you get into that scenario above, take a moment to imagine yourself at the exact same point of your exam.
You probably started off in a good mood when you started taking the test, so it’s likely that your overall exam will be similarly positive. However, if you take a moment to think about the intensity of the situation, you may find that your anxiety levels have risen. In such a case, it would be wise to take a moment to review your mind before your exam begins.
If you took a moment to think about the fact that your exam isn’t actually going to be stressful, you may be able to successfully alleviate your own stress and prevent yourself from having any issues at all. However, if you take that same moment to realize that you just need to calm down, you may be able to avoid any potential panic attacks.
To illustrate, you’ve probably had moments in your life where you were fearful, anxious, fearful, nervous, etc., but by the time that moment came along, you were able to control your mental state. But, what if you could take a moment to remind yourself of the fact that it was only a matter of seconds? It’s much better to wait until you’re in the middle of your exam before trying to control your inner state, because after that point, it’s simply too late.
Once you reach the beginning of your exam, you should write down anything that you may have written down during your study tips or by your anxiety triggers that popped into your mind. Once you get into the middle of your exam, you may want to take a moment to review what your review notes say, particularly if you can’t remember what you wrote during that time period.
By having all of your mental state that you experienced during the time when you had that panic attack sitting right there, you can then use it to guide your body in the proper mental state at the appropriate times. This is why many students find that taking a moment to review their review notes before they take the exam is an excellent way to help them avoid panic attacks.
Of course, you should also have notes about your self-talk as well. Do you ever notice that at certain times, you may seem to be in a good mood, but when you try to recall what that mood was like, you find that you just aren’t that fond of yourself? Take a moment to remind yourself of that moment before your exam begins.
Review it over again until you remember every bit of it. Doing this is an excellent way to help you avoid panic attacks when you’re studying for your exam, because the constant reminders of your past situation will give you that peace of mind that you need in order to be successful.
So, before you take that last exam of the semester, take a moment to review your review notes before the exam. This might just be the difference between a panic attack and a healthy grade.