Tirado 1

Jasmine Tirado
Health 044
1 May 2016
Thinking it Over Project 3: Case Study Analysis Final
Students in general experience a lot of stress that can lead to anxiety. Test anxiety is
characterized by intrusive anxiety-related behaviors and cognitions elicited by testing stimuli in
academic settings. (Szafranski). Being a freshman among all others means they experience the
brunt of it all, as they experience college lectures for the first time. As well as having to deal with
friends, family, or work and getting life organized all at the same time. These are just some
examples of why so many college students suffer from anxiety, like Katya. Her case study states
that she studies before every test and yet still experiences anxiety by being insecure in her testing
habits and scores. Since Katya is on a scholarship she must pass it. This has caused her anxiety to
increase and even brought on a panic attack. With research done, some of the things that could
decrease the severity of her anxiety would be relaxation of the muscles like yoga and breathing
exercises.
Initially, throughout my life Ive experienced a lot of anxiety. Some of the anxiety was
due school, while the other half was due my OCD. Ive suffered from mild OCD since I was ten
years old. With that being said Ive always been a germaphobe to put it lightly and have always
needed everything in order. Which isnt too much of a bad thing except when it interferes with
your daily life. In addition to that Ive also experienced anxiety throughout high school with
homework and exams. Every single time I had to endure this feeling I felt like I wasnt in control
of the situation which brought on a feeling of helplessness. I could assume this is exactly how
Katya felt right before a test.

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In addition, anxiety often occurs when having intense feelings such as nervousness or
stress. This would be why Katya probably feels like shed do so poorly. The feelings of being
stressed by studying for this exam and the fact that it could ruin her scholarship was all too much
for her. According to Georgetown Universitys Health Services Emotional symptoms of anxiety
include feelings of dread, trouble concentrating, feeling tense, anticipating the worst, irritability,
restlessness feeling like your mind has gone blank, etc. (Coping with Anxiety). Research states
that test anxiety is most likely composed of two common components. Those components would
be worry or aversive cognitions related to testing stimuli, and emotionality or physical
symptoms of anxiety while in testing situations (Szafranski).
Furthermore, some simple activities could help Katya with her anxiety, and make a huge
difference in her performances while taking exams like practicing yoga, meditation, or exercising
would result in relaxation of the muscles and mind. In addition to that getting a good nights rest
along with maintaining a healthy diet, have been proven to work wonders on the mind when
battling with anxiety (Coping with Anxiety). Those are some of the simpler fixes that Katya
would be able to try for next semester in order to build her self-efficacy in the classroom and
make sure that she doesnt experience any panic attacks. Some things that could build Katyas
self-esteem outside of the classroom would be to think positively about herself and her capability
in passing her classes. If Katya were to experience severe anxiety and none of the other exercises
mentioned help, she could seek help from a therapist. Therapy has been proven to help identify
unhealthy, negative beliefs and behaviors and replace them with healthy, positive ones. This
would help her realize that her own thoughts and not other peoples or situations determine how
she behaves (Coping with Anxiety).

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In Conclusion, many people experience stress and students are ones who experience it the
most. For that reason, many people suffer from this while taking a big test, this can then affect
their performance. For example, anxiety can affect a students performance by having them lose
their concentration and having trouble recalling test material learned. In order of Katya to do
well next semester and experience less anxiety it would be best if she does an activity to relax
her muscles/mind, eat healthy, and sleep well. It is said therapeutic techniques have shown to
have positive effects of reducing test anxiety in college students (Szafranski). So seeking
therapy when she is too stressed would also help her with any anxiety. To conclude Katya has a
variety of different techniques that may be used whenever she is experiencing anxiety before an
exam or just in life, this would also help prevent any future panic attacks.

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Sources
Coping with Anxiety. (n.d.). Retrieved May 02, 2016, from
https://studenthealth.georgetown.edu/health-issues/stress-anxiety-depression/anxiety
Szafranski, D. D., Barrera, T. L., & Norton, P. J. (2012). Test anxiety inventory: 30 years later.
Retrieved May 1, 2016, from http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ezp.pasadena.edu/ehost/detail/detail