YOUNG VOICE
Mental Block
“Let’s have a break, class. Be back after 15 minutes and then we’ll have an exam.”
Murmurs.
“Yugs, laba-laba lecture ni Ma’am nga daan pro. Pamatay ah.”
Hushes.
“Ti, ma-break pa ta ni? Pahulam da bi notes.”
Anxiety.
“Paano ko ni madasok tanan? Panubo-nubo na lang ta score ah.”
Stress and anxiety are our body’s natural way of defending itself from a perceived threat. When the body senses an impending danger, the sympathetic nervous system initiates the fight-or-flight response to keep the body vigilant and ready.
This works well in the prehistoric era. Thanks to fight-or-flight, our cavemen were able to save themselves from become the eat-all-you-can buffet of mountain lions. However, this survival instinct had proven to be meddlesome in today’s uber complicated society. What we perceive as threats is quite different now.
Preparing for and taking the exam may brew up an unlikely but popular mix of rapid heartbeats, clammy skin and wobbling knees.
You simply can’t fight; it’s worth a week’s suspension or possible expulsion for giving the merciless lecturer the ol’ one-two Pacquiao jab.
You simply can’t flee; test anxiety is not an excusable cause of absence. Not being able to flee and fight entraps the presence of the threat and the body will continue to be stressed and anxious until the brain gives up and shuts down causing the most abused excused for failing, Mental Block.
I had my own share of mental blocks. Some I regret were during my major exams. But over time, I learned how to warrant my resbak-attack. Just recently, after having been qualified as one of the Top 3 students to represent my school in the upcoming SNAP (Student Nurses Association of the Philippines) ICC 2nd Interschool Nursing Quiz Bowl, I realized that fuss and worry during major exams won’t be of any help.
1. Do Not Cram
Cramming never worked for me. It seemed to add in a bolus of information that clogs the actual reserve of the brain, the stored knowledge. When we cram, we force in everything. It’s like a narrow tube with a large volume of fluid passing through it, more likely, the pressure will be off the charts. The same goes with cramming; for a short span of time and an anxious mind, pushing more information will only get the pressure, the stress rising.
2. Study in Advance
Procrastination is never a friend to a student. Studying in advance gives one a chance to study lessons completely and not just plainly memorizing. If you ask me, the lowest form of study is memorization. Analysis is needed to assure total understanding so that even if the questions in the exam are paraphrased or stated differently from the one found in the lecture notes, one will be able to tick in the right box. Some would say I over-study; I could spend 12 hours straight for studying alone. But it’s not my loss. There will come a time when I will need to retrieve some over-studied information from my coconut shell.
3. Take Time-Outs
Everytime our lecturers offer breaks, I gladly take them. Fr. Bernabe Tutana, in one of his homilies, described how significant time-outs are in a basketball game. During the last minutes of the last quarter, it is often a wonder why time-outs are always called for from each teams. Fr. Tutana said, it is because it is in these seconds-long time-outs that the best strategies, the best techniques the winning game plan are conceptualized. The same goes with our exams. Eating the grilled hotdog and sipping a cool cup of cola for 15 minutes will allow you to relax and eventually condition your mind to later on recall the previously learned information.
4. Pray
Ask God for guidance in taking the exam. Remember you don’t have to carry all the pressure and anxiety. Ask for God’s help. Philippians 4:6-7 says: Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
It’s normal to feel anxious and stressed, it only means you are human and your body is optimally responding. But, help your body. If you’ll let it on its own you might be surprised to what extent it may become just to get rid of the threat.
They grabbed their notes. I grabbed my wallet.
They mumbled. My tummy grumbled.
They crammed. I ate my snacks.
They failed. I and the rest of the less anxious passed the exam.
Please pray for me and my group for the Quiz Bee on September 29th.
(Reactions to reylangarcia@yahoo.com)
