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Tang, Crystal

Health Education 44 (#31379)

Professor Moore

6 April 2017

Project 3: Case Study Analysis Final Submission

Attending college is one of the most stressful events an individual can experience in life

because it may be the first step into adulthood for some people. Others may find going to college

stressful because of the work load and the grades they earn will determine where they could

continue their education which will affect their future career. Although the stress is unavoidable,

there are ways to control and reduce the amount of stress one will feel.

Katya is a freshman in college. This is a big change from high school. She is studious and

currently has a 3.0 grade point average. However, she feels extremely anxious before tests

because she believes that her hard work and studying will not make a difference in her grade.

The semester is coming to an end and Katya must do well on her Chemistry exam. If she does

poorly on the exam, she will lose her scholarship. This extreme amount of pressure has caused

her to develop test anxiety. It is so severe, she experienced a panic attack while studying for the

Chemistry exam.

When I first entered college, I was very nervous because my family members and friends

who went to college informed me that the work overall is ten times more difficult than in high
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school. This frightened me because I already thought high school was difficult. I was worried

that I would not get the hang of the college life and fail my classes. I had some difficulty

adjusting to the class schedules, assignment due dates, and events. I did not know how to manage

my time wisely and this led to be becoming more stressed. However, I did not want this stress to

continue so I searched up how to keep myself organized. I learned that buying myself a planner

will help me organize my college life. For example, I write daily to do lists, daily events, due

dates, personal events, holidays, amount of time spent on certain tasks. Keeping track of this

information lifted off the stress that was stuck on me since I began college. Aside from that, I

always experience test anxiety, but it is not as serious as Katyas experiences. I get extremely

anxious before taking an exam and this caused me to blank out during an exam. I think I get test

anxiety because I expect so much out of myself and I want to maintain my grade point average to

get into a university. I learned to begin studying about two weeks prior to the exam. This way I

am not cramming chapters of information in my head a few days before I take an exam. I have

enough time to get through all the material and calmly study during that period. I also try to

squeeze in some meditating during those two weeks of studying and meditate for a longer period

of time the day before the exam. This helped decrease my test anxiety.

Although it is difficult overcoming anxiety, there are simple ways that can help reduce

the stress an individual will feel. Bower (2011) found that students who expressively write their

worries about taking an exam before taking the exam will decrease their test anxiety and increase

their test scores. In the study, students wrote about their concerns about the test, such as their fear

of failing it for ten minutes. Writing down their thoughts helps students reconsider why they have

anxiety in the first place. A researcher in Austin, Texas conducted a study that involved students

writing about their fears and conflicts in the beginning of the school semester to improve their
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end of the semester overall grade. Researchers concluded that students who wrote about their

fears of test taking scored a better grade on a final, compared to students who did not express

their concerns. Kalb (2003) believes that yoga and stretching help with anxiety. The first step to

overcoming your fear is identifying what it is. Once you identify your fear, you need to control

your breathing. Controlling your breathing will help reduce your blood pressure, which will help

you calm down. A study instructed the participants to exhale after they say a certain word. The

researchers found that a simple task like that was found to lower blood pressure, which helped

participants become calm. The meditation was linked to lower anxiety levels in the brain,

specifically the amygdala. It is believed that yoga helps reduce stress by making you forget your

worries. In reference to Tips to manage anxiety and stress, there are many ways to deal with

anxiety. The different ways to overcome stress are taking a time-out (practicing yoga, getting a

massage), eating a healthy/well-balanced meal, drinking a moderate amount of alcohol and

caffeine, exercising daily, getting enough sleep, and taking deep breaths. It is stated that

practicing yoga will help a person step back from their problems. One must limit their alcohol

and caffeine intake because alcohol and caffeine are known to cause panic attacks. Water would

be a better alternative. These strategies will help an individual deal with stress and anxiety.

In conclusion, everybody goes through stressful events at some point in their life. Katya

and I both experienced stress during our freshman year of college. Katya experienced severe test

anxiety while I stressed over how I was going to manage the various classes I was taking during

the semester. However, there are ways to help reduce your stress levels. According to research,

writing down your fears/worries, controlling your breathing, and yoga/meditation are a few easy

ways to calm down and decrease your stress levels. As stated by previous researchers, meditation

helps individuals clear their mind from their worries. Exercising daily, getting enough sleep, and
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eating well-balanced meals can help a person deal with anxiety. From my own personal

experience, meditating helped me lower my test anxiety. It is important to take simple steps to

reduce stress because it may result in health issues, such as high blood pressure, which can lead

to heart disease.
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Reference

Bower, B. (2011). The write stuff for test anxiety. Science News, 179(4), 9. Retrieved from

https://login.ezp.pasadena.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=tr

ue&db=scf&AN=504511954&site=ehost-live

Kalb, C. (2003). Coping with anxiety. Newsweek, 141(8), 51-52. Retrieved by

https://login.ezp.pasadena.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=tr

ue&db=scf&AN=503984178&site=ehost-live

Tips to manage anxiety and stress. Retrieved by https://www.adaa.org/tips-manage-anxiety-and-

stress