Anxiety while studying

I can relate to this a lot, and I'm sorry it's causing you so much frustration.

Do you find that you put a lot of pressure on yourself to do well? Does it feel like the stakes of this exam are very high (for example you must get a very good score or something bad will happen)?

When I was in school, I would get SO anxious expecting myself to get an A every time, but being so overwhelmed at how much I'd have to prepare to make it happen that I'd end up paralyzed by anxiety and unable to concentrate at all--and then the longer that went on, the more anxious I got about losing more and more studying time. And then I would end up doing worse on the exam than if I hadn't worried so much about doing well.

I'm not sure if any will apply to you, but some things I tried to help with this are:

• Deep breathing

• Reminding myself that I'm doing my best and it is not necessary to get an incredibly high score every time and that I will retain more information if I can relax my expectations

• Taking breaks to walk outside, talk with a friend, watch a TV show periodically

• Speaking with my teacher/professor/instructor to let them know how I'm struggling and ask for tips or accommodations

• Studying with a friend or in a comfortable environment i.e. not alone / in my room / in bed

• Making sure I'm well-nourished so my brain can operate at its best capacity and I'm not distracted by hunger

• Getting adequate sleep

• Speaking with a doctor or counselor about my anxiety

• Breaking down studying into manageable parts for example instead of "I have to study as much as possible" trying "today I will review chapter 4, tomorrow I will review chapter 5"

• Repeating affirmations to myself like "I know that I will perform better if I relax my expectations, I am doing my best regardless of the score I receive, I have prepared a lot and I know I will pass, if I do not pass I will survive and try again next time"

Wishing you the best of luck!