How to Cope with Exam Panic

If your mind goes blank when you look at an exam paper here's how to overcome that panic and access all the information in your brain, quickly and easily.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Answer the following questions:
   What's your name?
   What's three times four?
   What letter comes after B in the alphabet?
2. Think about how easy it was to answer those questions.
3. Think about where that information was stored!
   It certainly wasn't in your conscious mind.
   If that's where you're trying to find the information you need to answer the exam question, you're looking in the wrong place!
4. Everything you have ever learned is stored in your unconscious mind.
   Every date and formula and quote is in there along with the answer to what's three times four and what letter comes after B and the words of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and your phone number....
   All you have to do is shut up and listen!
5. Close your eyes
6. Take a really big deep breath deep into your belly
7. Exhale fully
8. Repeat steps 6 and 7 at least twice more
9. As you breathe in and out, tell yourself 'I can do this!' or 'I know this'.
10. Focus only on your breathing for a few moments.
    If the panic starts to rise, breathe slower and deeper
11. Now open your eyes and read the question.
    If the answer does not come to you, go to the next question - calmly - repeat the process.
    Very often, when you are thinking of something else, the answer will appear!
12. Practice slow, deep breathing every time you begin to feel panicky or fearful with the intention of accessing the information stored in your subconscious mind.
13. You can do it!

Tips & Warnings

• Practice breathing while you're studying and before the exam so that you can reach the relaxed state quicker when you need to
• If you haven't been studying, this technique can't help you access information you don't have in your brain!