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Every one of us experiences some kind of anxiety from time to time which results out from a situation that we perceive as threatening, such as having to do an oral presentation, having a near-miss with a car, or waiting for the results of a lab test. Anxiety is really common among humans during a situation that tends to create a tense atmosphere. The examination can be one such event that leads to a lot of tension and anxiety commonly known as examination phobia. It has been often observed among the students that suddenly something feels very wrong; they feel like they might be losing control. You feel physical symptoms that mimic serious health problems and in some cases, you feel as if death or doom is imminent. Anxiety is a normal human feeling that is part of life and can often serve as a good form of adrenaline. However, in a few people this adrenaline rush exceeds normal limits and at times may lead to some negative consequences.
We often come across the terms examination fever or examination phobia. Scientifically this is a result of anxiety and is often termed as test anxiety. Test anxiety is a type of anxiety that can affect a test taker before, during, or after a test. It is an issue that many students deal with at one time or another and at times can hamper their performance badly. A lot of people think that the cause of examination fever is an inadequate preparation for the test that makes students sick fearing the bad results, which is not true. Exam anxiety can be caused due to under-preparedness as well as over-preparedness also. Test anxiety can also be experienced at varying levels and may range from slight exam stress that can help you by providing alertness, readiness, and help you to concentrate. However, excessive exam anxiety can result in stress and negatively affect performance and can also lead to forgetfulness or dizziness.
It has been observed that children attend classes regularly, completed homework, and studied regularly. He or she arrived at the exam confident about the material, but are not able to perform well owing to test anxiety. If students develop test anxiety, a type of performance anxiety, taking the test becomes really difficult for them. Fear of failure, lack of preparation or over preparation and lack of experience in handling high-pressure situations. Everyone should feel somewhat anxious before they begin to take a test which is a normal part of life. However, anxiety becomes a problem when it begins to interfere with a student's ability to think logically or remember facts. Physical symptoms of real test anxiety include tense muscles, sweaty palms, a pounding heart, and feeling faint or nauseous. Cognitive symptoms include the inability to remember simple things, illogical thinking, and mental blocks. However, it is very important that if a student faces anxiety that causes some physical imbalance or hampers his performance then one must consult a doctor.
A phobia is an intense fear of something that, in reality, poses little or no actual danger. If you are suffering from any kind of phobia, you'll often experience a host of physical and mental symptoms that can leave you severely frightened and incredibly drained once they pass. Common phobias and fears include closed-in places, heights, highway driving, flying insects, snakes, and needles. However, we can develop phobias of virtually anything. A headache, nausea, diarrhoea, excessive sweating, shortness of breath, rapid heartbeat, light-headedness and feeling faint can all occur. Phobias can lead to a panic attack, which is the abrupt onset of intense fear or discomfort in which individuals may feel like they are unable to breathe or having a heart attack. Most phobias develop in childhood, but it is also possible that these can also develop in adults too. In phobia even if you realize that your fear is unreasonable then also you can’t do anything about it and can’t control your feelings, whenever you’re actually exposed to the thing you fear, the terror is automatic and overwhelming.
From long ago there has been researching about anxiety and its effect, but still, researchers don't know exactly why some people experience anxiety disorders, they do know that there are various factors involved. Like many other mental health conditions, anxiety disorders seem to be a result of a combination of biological, psychological, and other individual factors. Anxiety has often been linked to the stressful situation leading to an adrenalin rush. Tension or fear is not the only reason for the anxiety, however, excitement can also be a reason for anxiety. How we think and react to certain situations can affect anxiety to a great extent. Psychologists believe that we can deal with anxiety to a great extent by the way we actually take up an event. Some people may perceive certain situations to be more dangerous than they actually are e.g., fear of flying or swimming and most of the time ends up developing a phobia. It is also evident that at times people may have had a bad experience with a particular thing and they fear this will happen again to them. Some psychologists believe that childhood experiences can also contribute towards anxiety to a great extent.
Psychologists believe that chemical imbalance or in other words problems with brain chemistry can contribute to the development of anxiety disorders. Certain neurotransmitters that are chemical messengers carrying messages to the brain are involved in anxiety and these include serotonin, norepinephrine, and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). Hence chemical balance from brain which is directly linked to how we perceive a situation may control our anxiety levels. Researchers have also shown that changes in activity in certain areas of the brain are involved in anxiety. Many anxiety disorders run in families and are likely to have a genetic cause. However among students errors in time management, poor study habits, failure to properly organize material and cramming the night before the exam are also likely to increase test anxiety. If a test has been adequately prepared for, the precipitating anxiety may result from negative thinking and worries.
A lot of people think that fear is the only cause of anxiety or a phobia and they think that phobia is a kind of fear only. However, the reality is different and phobia is different from fear. Though fear is a result of phobia, still both are not the same. It is normal and even helpful to experience fear in dangerous situations. Fear is an adaptive human response towards extreme situations. It serves a protective purpose, activating the automatic response that cautions us. With our bodies and minds alert and ready for action, we are able to respond quickly and protect ourselves in the situation of fear. However, phobia maybe something complex as compared to a normal situation of fear. With the phobias, the threat is greatly exaggerated or nonexistent. For example, we all normally fear of road accidents that make us even more cautious while driving; however, there are a lot of people who may develop a road phobia due to an accident and are simply unable to drive again on road.
Fear is something that may make you feel uneasy at times, but still, you go on with the situation with an extra care. However, a phobia is something that not only creates a fear in your mind, but that fear and anxiety are so much that you can’t even think of being through that particular situation. A normal person who has fear of heights may develop tension or uneasiness when in plane or at the time of taking off, whereas phobia is something that if you have a phobia of heights or flying, you may be ready to miss an important event or opportunity of your life rather than taking a flight to reach an important event.
A lot of people think that examination phobia is the result of under-preparation for a test or an examination and fear of flunking the exam leads to a stressful situation for the students or a phobia. However, research specialists have simply discarded this theory and made this point very clear that examination phobia can be observed among an underprepared, fully prepared, normally prepared as well as an over-prepared student. A lot of times the most anxious people tend to be the ones who are least prepared, but occasionally they are the high achievers for whom only the top grades will do and even bright students who have prepared well may also experience anxiety that may cause an examination phobia.
Examinations vary in their intentions and purpose, and the fact that they are often only revealed at the time of the exam makes them unpredictable. A lot of preparation and expectations are also facts that trigger stress among the students. Lack of predictability and control are sure to make most people feel anxious and this is a fact of life not simply examinations. You can improve your odds if you have a broad understanding of the topic. You will find this helps your ability to answer the question(s) in the form the examiner has set.
As defined earlier, a phobia is an intense fear situation from something that may or may not possess any actual threat in reality. Phobia may turn you down and at times may become your greatest enemies or hurdles in your life. Examination phobia among the student can be a great hurdle for your academic success. It is very important to realize on time that you have developed a phobia form something and overcome your phobia at the right time before it ruins a good opportunity of your life. It is important to realize that factors such as caffeine, alcohol, and certain medications can cause anxiety symptoms. Traumatic life events such as the death of a family member, witnessing a death, war, and natural disasters such as hurricanes and earthquakes may trigger anxiety disorders or phobias.
If you are suffering from any kind of phobia, it is very important that you must act to overcome your problem before it takes on to you. When it comes to treating phobias, self-help strategies and therapy can both be effective. What’s best for you depend on a number of factors, including the severity of your phobia, your insurance coverage, and the amount of support you need. As a general rule, self-help is always worth a try. The more you can do for yourself, the more in control you’ll feel which goes a long way when it comes to phobias and fears. However, if your phobia is so severe that it triggers panic attacks or uncontrollable anxiety, you may want to get additional support, do not hesitate to get a professional support if the problem is serious. Yoga and meditation is also a very effective way of keeping your mind calm and developing your inner strength.
If you are trying self-therapy then you must start with full confidence and motivation. Face your fears, one step at a time and should never consider stepping back an option. It’s only natural to want to avoid the thing or situation you fear but this time don’t avoid them rather find you ways out to deal with those. When it comes to overcoming phobias, facing your fears is the key. Face your phobias fearless and you will wonder that no longer these would be a problem for you. While avoidance may make you feel better in the short-term, it prevents you from learning that your phobia may not be as frightening or overwhelming as you think. You never get the chance to learn how to cope with your fears and experience control over the situation. As a result, the phobia becomes increasingly scarier and more daunting in your mind. Hence don’t fear just face these strongly and kick your phobias away from your life forever.
