anxiety, stress and exam pressure dr joanne robinson, chartered clinical psychologist dclinpsychol,...
TRANSCRIPT
Anxiety, Stress and Exam Pressure
Dr Joanne Robinson, Chartered Clinical Psychologist
DClinPsychol, CPsychol.
Anxiety
Phobias
Panic Attacks
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Generalised Anxiety Disorder
Separation Anxiety
Social Anxiety
Anxiety: Fight, Flight, Freeze & Flop
Adaptive response: Changes to physical feelings, thoughts & behaviour
Must be a perception of DANGER
Or that we are THREATENED or VULNERABLE
This can be physical, social or mental
Stress
Physical Signs
Physical Impact
Sleeping difficulties
Tiredness
Aches & Pains e.g. Headaches, backache, knots in stomach
Feeling sick
Shaky
Fast heart rate
Dry Mouth
Needing the toilet
Dizzy
Sweating
Cognitive Impact
Concentration
(Short Term) Memory
Making Decisions
Confused, annoyed over small things
Procrastination
Negative thinking e.g. always thinking the worst, low self confidence
Constant worrying
THINKING ERRORS
Thinking Errors
The DownersE.g. negative glasses, positives don’t count
Blowing things upE.g. all or nothing,
magnifying the negative, snowballing
Predicting FailureE.g. the mind-reader, the
fortune-teller,
Feeling ThoughtsE.g. emotional
reasoning, dustbin labels
Setting yourself up to failE.g. Shoulds, musts,
can’t, shouldn’t
Blame meE.g. feel responsible
Behavioural Impact
Avoidance
Refusal to go to school
Walking out
Arguing
Obsessiveness – spending more time on work, checking
Time Management
Taking thing out on other people
Eating more or less than usual
Sleeping more or less than usual
Self Harm, Alcohol & Drug use
Disengaged from social activities, friends, family members
Emotional Impact
Worried, Panicky
Edgy
Irritable, aggressive
Withdrawn
Low mood
Thoughts
Physical Feelings
Emotions
Behaviour
Thoughts-Feelings Diary
Exercises
What’s on your plate? Riding the Wave
Exam Stress: Facts
92% feel anxious about revision & exams
14% turn to alcohol
8% use self harm
Childline, 2011
A Teenager’s Perspective
It’s very hard to write this as it’s an awkward subject, but I’ll give it a go. I’m in top set (set 1), Year 11 and it’s really hard to manage the expectations teachers put on you. And the pressure to get things right just adds to the stress. Comments like “you must do this otherwise you’ll fail” aren’t helpful. I know I need to do well. I have those expectations of myself. The constant reminders of course work and upcoming exams keeps the stress and anxiety alive. Also the pressures from home don’t help. For example, my brother has 2 degrees and was studying for a PhD. He was an example to the family and I don’t want to fail my Dad. The concept of failing adds to the constant anxiety, which keeps you up all night and then you’re more tired, which makes the stress worse.
Young Person’s Perspective
A Teenager’s Perspective
Pocket Health Series (Robinson, 2014)
Let’s Relax
Exam Stress It can be easy to feel overwhelmed by the pressure of exams. You’ve worked hard all year and you want to do well. It is normal to feel some stress – this is actually important and can help you stay focused and alert. However, too much stress can have a negative impact and may lead to changes in your thoughts, feelings and behaviour. Recognise the symptoms of stress and take action. Here are a few tips to help you through your exams…
Time for a break? Let’s RELAX… Sit comfortably. Rest your arms by your side and close your eyes. Take a deep, slow breath in through your nose and feel the air go all the way down in to your stomach. Slowly breathe out through your mouth and imagine all that tension and stress leaving your body. Breathe in 1, 2, 3, 4…and slowly breathe out 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8…Breathe in…and breathe out.
Mindfulness
A skill that takes time to develop
“here and now”
Observing your experience in sensing mode
Describing details
Participating Fully
Being Non-Judgemental
Focusing on one thing at a time
