Kevin Ko

HED 44
Project 3 Cast Study Analysis
I remember my first exam in collee and my feelins of anxiety and stress t!at
over"!elmed me #rior to and durin t!e test$ I #re#ared diliently for about a "ee%
before t!e exam and durin t!at "ee% I rarely too% any brea%s nor did I eat "ell$ I lived
in t!e sc!ool library and rarely sa" t!e faces of my roommates$ As eac! day #assed and
t!e exam date a##roac!ed& I started to become more anxious and unfocused$ It "as not
until t!e test "as over did I reali'e t!at my mind "as so #reoccu#ied "it! "orries of
failure t!at I "as not able to finis! my exam$ (!e "orst feelin one can !ave after an
exam is t!e reret of not bein able to even #ut a random ans"er in !is test) t!at is !o"
far be!ind I "as in my exam$ I as%ed myself "!y my !ands "ere s!a%in "!en I "as
fillin out my ans"ers$ *!y "as I s"eatin so muc!+ *!y "as I unfocused+ *!y didn,t
I finis! my test+ It "as durin t!is intros#ective moment t!at I %ne" t!e ans"er to all
t!ese -uestions$ I "as afraid of t!e test and t!e re#ercussions of failin t!e exam
occu#ied my t!ou!ts for t!e duration of t!e exam$ .uc! li%e Katya and most students&
"e all feel stress and anxiety "it! our tests$ Alt!ou! my sc!olars!i# "as never #ut in
jeo#ardy& I can understand "!y Katya "ould be so anxious$ It is t!e fear of t!e
re#ercussions of not #assin our exams t!at over"!elms students li%e !er and myself$ I
learned durin my first year of collee t!at in order to do "ell on my exams& I needed to
con-uer my fears$ /ood test0ta%in s%ills re-uires self control to manae our fears and
emotions$
1efore I et to t!e met!ods and alternatives to manae our stress and anxiety& I
believe t!at some #eo#le are able to find solutions to t!ese #roblems muc! more easily
t!an ot!ers$ As suc!& it may !el# ot!ers to see% #rofessional !el# to manae t!eir
#roblems$ I !ad a friend "!o "as notorious for !avin #anic attac%s and it came as no
sur#rise t!at it revealed itself durin !i!0stress situations suc! as tests$ I "as a"are of
!is !istory of anxiety and !is "ee%ly t!era#y sessions "it! !is #syc!oloist$ .y friend
"as fortunate to !ave t!e financial bac%in of !is #arents to !el# su##ort !is "ee%ly
t!era#y sessions to manae !is #anic attac%s$ (!ere are students out t!ere "!o are less
fortunate to financially su##ort t!ese %inds of #rofessional !el#$ In t!e case of Katya& I
"ould recommend !er to see% #rofessional !el# if s!e can afford it$ .y friend told me
t!e most beneficial #art of !is t!era#y sessions "asn,t t!e tec!ni-ues and strateies t!at
!is t!era#ist im#arted but t!e fact t!at "as able to s!are !is t!ou!ts and emotions "it! a
com#anion$ It "as t!e social su##ort and net"or% t!at !el#ed !im manae !is anxiety$
He no" relies less on 2anax and ot!er #rescri#tion drus to manae !is anxiety$ If my
anxiety and stress interfered "it! t!e !a##iness and satisfaction of my life& I& too "ould
see% #rofessional !el# but only after I ex!austed all my o#tions$
3ne of t!e most common suestions to deal "it! anxiety is exercise$ (!ere !ave
been many researc! #a#ers "!ic! revealed t!at exercise !el#s reduce anxiety and redirect
our enery to #roductive tas%s$ 3ne suc! #a#er t!at ex#lains suc! effects is #ublis!ed in
t!e *as!inton Post$ In summary& t!e researc! revealed t!at exercise !el#ed to alleviate
de#ression and anxiety 41riley& *as!inton Post 56678$ (!e #a#er suests it reduces t!e
effect of t!ese emotions in various "ays) 7$8Eases t!e body muscles involved "it!
anxiety 5$8 9edirect enery to #roductive tas%s rat!er t!an t!ou!ts t!at may lead to
anxiety and 3$8 3#ioid effect t!at follo"s #eriods of #!ysical activity$ Exercise is
beneficial to easin t!e tension in body muscles t!at may be involved "it! anxiety and as
a result it !el#s to relieve t!e #erson$ (!is also !el#s in distractin t!e #erson from
t!in%in of anxiety0related t!ou!ts because exercise #rovides t!em a tas% to #erform and
focus on$ t!us redirectin t!eir focus on ot!er t!ins$ :astly& t!e article states t!at after
#eriods of #!ysical activity& t!e body releases o#ioids from t!e brain t!at function to !el#
t!e body relax and reduce emotions suc! as fear$ So muc! about dealin "it! anxiety
and stress is about manain t!ese emotions$ As suc!& it comes as no sur#rise t!at self
control is one of t!e main to#ics in dealin "it! stress$ (!ere "as a #a#er #ublis!ed by
t!e American Psyc!oloical Association t!at revealed t!at t!ose #artici#ants "it! #oor
self control !ad #oor #erformance on t!eir tests 4Emotion& ;ol 738$ In many "ays self0
control is our ability to alter our res#onses in t!e face of adversity or anxiety$ (!e article
suests t!at if "e are able to im#rove our self0control t!en "e may also im#rove our
#erformance in tests$ .any ot!er #syc!oloists suest "ritin in a journal to !el# vent
emotions suc! as anxiety 4/oldsmit!8$ 3t!er o#tions include redirectin your anxiety
into some #ositive action$ I %no" t!at "!en I et stressed out I usually #lay video ames&
"al% my dos or #lay my uitar to !el# %ee# my mind off suc! neative emotions$
In conclusion& so muc! of manain anxiety and stress is about controllin your
emotions$ .any of t!e references t!at "ere mentioned suest activities to !el# t!e mind
refocus on t!ou!ts ot!er t!an anxiety$ *!en I loo% bac% at my first year of collee& I
learned to tric% my mind into con-uerin my fear$ I c!aned my mindset "!en I did my
exams$ I told myself t!at I !ave not!in to lose and t!at I s!ould ive it all I,ve ot$ If I
did my best t!en I "ould not !ave any rerets$ (est anxiety is a contem#orary #roblem
es#ecially since our #erformance in sc!ool is measured "it! numbers and rades t!at are
-uantifiable$ <or Katya& !er solutions to !er anxiety and stress may be different t!an
mine but t!e core issue remains t!e same$ It is about self0control and some of t!e
suestions I listed above may !el# !er overcome !er test anxiety$
*or%s Cited
7$8 Bertrams, A., Englert, C., Dickhuser, O., & Baumeister, R. F. (2013). Role of self-control
strength in the relation between anxiety and cognitive performance. Emotion, 13(4), 668-680.
doi:10.1037/a0031921
5$8 Briley, John. "The Xanax Workout; For Low-Level Anxiety, Exercise May Provide Relief
Without Pills: [FINAL Edition]." Database Login| at Pasadena City College. WP Company LLC
D/b/a The Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2001. Web. 01 Oct. 2014.
3.) Exercise for Stress and Anxiety | Anxiety and Depression Association of America, ADAA.
(2014, January 1)
4$8 Goldsmith, Ph.D, B. (2012, May 14). Top 10 Tips to Reduce Anxiety.
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/emotional-ftness/201205/top-10-tips-reduce-anxiety