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Wellbeing Wednesdays is a weekly podcast exploring what wellbeing means at West Virginia University. Listen to get to know more about the folks doing work on the ground at the university in addition to some light-hearted fun as we take a look at wellbeing in popular culture.
Hey everyone. Welcome, welcome, welcome to Wellbeing Wednesdays. I'm your host Courtney Weaver. I'm also the director of Well WVU here at West Virginia University and today, so grateful that I have a lovely guest with me. Uh, we have. Yes, we have Sarah Davone. She is a care manager and behavioral health therapist here at our Caruth Center, which is the counseling center here on campus.
So Sarah, why don't you tell everyone a little bit about yourself and then your role at the university? Yeah, absolutely. First of all, thanks for having me and it's super nice to meet all of you virtually. Um, uh, like Courtney said, my name's Sarah. I am a therapist at the Caruth Center, so I spend my days having the privilege of talking with.
Um, some fun facts about me. I have two cats that I really like and I embarrassingly watch a lot of TikTok . Yeah. Now that, now that, embarrassing about that. And you probably have that in common with a lot of students, right? Absolutely, yes. All right. I'll, well, uh, it's, it's November, which is, Bananas to me.
Um, but what that means is that finals are coming up and they're going to come up very quickly. Yeah. Uh, and so for a lot of folks, what that also means is that anxiety is also re up. And so the subject for this week's podcast is going to be test anxiety. So Sarah, Sometimes we hear that word anxiety and we think, oh, it's bad.
It's always bad. Right. But some anxiety is a little bit good, right? Absolutely. So anxiety can be a, a really big motivator for people. Mm-hmm. . So, uh, I like to think that a little anxiety is actually a good thing. Um, it motivates us to study, it motivates us to focus. Um, it's that get up and go when we need a little bit.
I think anxiety starts to become a problem when we essentially kind of tip over that edge a little bit and it starts to cause us problems. Um, so it's really important that we know where our tipping point is, right? Yeah. So we can start to say, okay, my anxiety is actually helping me right now, versus I'm starting to get burned out, or I'm starting to panic or feel.
Really, really out of control. Um, so paying attention to where that tipping point is, is really important. Yeah. And if it gets bad, it can start to interfere with your actual, like test taking performance. Mm-hmm. . Um, and it'll like, make you feel miserable. So that's not good. That's, that's not how you wanna go into a test, right?
You wanna go in with your best possible attitude and, and outlook. Uh, and so in terms of causes for test anxiety, like what do you often see? Cause I know you talked to. Students. So when you, when you see them and talk to them about this, are these fears realistic? Are they unfounded? Like what do you see?
Yeah, I honestly think that there are absolutely realistic fears and some unfounded fears. A lot of times the fears that we talk about when we're talking about test anxiety, um, you know, we're actually genuinely nervous about taking a test. Mm-hmm. , but I think the anxiety. Feel might be greater or bigger than the actual threat that we're kind of going into.
Yeah. Um, so I don't wanna say that they're unfounded fears, but I do think that our anxiety sometimes lies to us and tells us we're going into something much more difficult or much more dangerous than we're actually going into. Yeah. Um, I also think perfectionism could potentially play a role in what students feel going into a test.
I mean, if you have a lot of pressure on you saying, I have to get that a or I have to get that 100, you know, that makes it. Scary going into it. Yeah. And that pressure can come from yourself, but it can also come from outside pressures too. Mm-hmm. like family members, like friends or anything like that.
Like they can also put that pressure on you. So lot of lot of different factors that contribute to folks test anxiety. So now let's move into the, the main like meat of this podcast, which would be some strategies to help manage test anxiety. Uh, and these are all from professionals. So these are from like places like the Mayo Clinic and Brown University.
Yeah. And, and Sara Zone expertise. Um, and so we'll talk about, first, we'll talk about strategies that you can do before the exam, and then we'll talk about kind of during the exam. So Sarah, what are some things folks can do? For the exam to help manage their anxiety. Yeah. So when I think about what to do prior to an exam, I, my brain first goes to how do I study?
Yes. Am I doing it the right way? Am I being effective when I study? Um, and as a WVU student, you know, students have access to the Center for Learning and Student Success, which is a really incredible resource for. Um, I talk to students about how they can benefit from those services all the time, whether that's through tutoring or academic coaching.
Um, they can really help you learn how to study in a, in a really effective, healthy way. Yeah. Um, also another thing that kind of comes to my mind is, um, using office hours. I think students might be a. Scared yes. To pop into a professor's office hours. But let me tell you, that's why they're there. They want you to come.
Um, but this could really benefit students on a lot of levels. I do think that it really helps them develop and create a relationship with a professor. Does. Does, and I think that comes in handy later on down the road too, because if you're in a large lecture class, so let's say there's like 300 other students in your class, you're, that's hard for your professor to keep track of in lecture, right?
Mm-hmm. . So if you go to their office hours, like you are building that personal connection, they're more likely to remember you. Um, and they can help, really help you like learn to understand some of the material that maybe you're not quite. And giving you that one on one attention, which is, is really important for a lot of different folks.
Mm-hmm. . So yeah, that can help take the pressure off. Yeah, for sure. So a third strategy that you might wanna do, which actually really helped me when I took my comprehensive exams and my doctoral program, was to study early and. Similar places. Um, and so what was interesting is that when I took my comps, I actually took them in the same room that I worked in, so I managed an educational computer lab, and that's actually where I took my exam.
And I had studied a lot in that same place. And so it actually was quite convenient. I didn't know that that was going to happen. It was purely coincidental, but it was, it was a little bit of. Behaviorism. Yeah. Like the same environment helps with memory. Yes. Yeah. And I think a lot of things that I hear from students is I have to cram or I have to study all night long.
Yeah. And I would actually recommend the opposite of that. Yes. You know, making sure you're getting sleep, trying to. Maybe schedule small study sessions. Yeah. As opposed to really, really incredibly long ones. Yeah. And all nighters have been shown, like you might retain the information for a little while, but it's not good for long term memory.
Yeah. And, and the whole point of being in college is that you're, you wanna retain this stuff and so it'll help you in your food. Future professional life, right? So in the long run, it's not great. I've only done one in my life. I regret it. , it was not to study for a test, it was to finish a paper. Right. Um, but it was, I've never, I've never done it since.
Um, and then along same lines, in addition to sleeping, you know, you should also do, you should eat and drink . Absolutely. Um, so your brain needs fuel in order to, to focus. And so, You know, there are a lot of folks who are really reliant on coffee. Um, but you wanna be careful because if you're already experiencing some test anxiety, if you add caffeine to that mix, it's not gonna be great.
Yeah. Heart rate definitely goes up. Yeah. And it makes you feel even. More antsy and probably difficult to sit in a seat. So water is probably the best choice. Yes. Uh, and your brain will thank you for that and your body will thank you for that in general. Um, and then also if you are finding that you're really nervous on the day of the exam, you know, see if you can carve out some time to do some exercise or just some movement that you really like.
Mm-hmm. , um, it can be helpful. It doesn't have to be anything major. You don't have to, you know, do a high intensity. Or workout, you could just go for a short walk. Yeah. Any movement really helps your body release the adrenaline, which actually makes you feel that nervous or that anxiety. Yeah. Um, so any type of movement's super helpful.
Yeah. And if, if a student is like really struggling, if they're like, I don't know how to manage this. Like, I have this big exam coming up, I don't know what to do. Like, would you recommend them coming to Caruth and talking to someone? Absolutely. I I honestly think coming in and talking with a, a therapist is beneficial on any, in any circumstance.
Right? Yeah. But specifically, if you're feeling super miserable, your ability to take a test is being affected. Absolutely. Come talk to us. We will work out individual plans and coping skills that can really be beneficial. And what's cool is that folks in Caruth also know about the other resources that might be able to help you, like the Class Office or the Center for Learning and Student Success.
Mm-hmm. . Um, but then another thing Caruth, uh, folks might be able to do is to put things in perspective, right? Absolutely. Taking a look at our beliefs and our thoughts that go through our heads when we're taking tests. Um, when we spend time reflecting on that, it gives us an opportunity to reframe them to be a little bit more helpful, a little bit more positive, which makes us feel much better.
Yeah. Um, so definitely being able to be mindful of that and talk to someone. Super helpful. Yeah. And so finally, so before the exam, you wanna approach your studying seriously. Um, but you can also think of your. As a game, if that is helpful. This is interesting. Yes. So you just wanna collect as many points as possible in as much time that you're given, right?
Yeah. Um, because chances are, you know, no, I don't think anyone's gonna get a hundred percent on an exam. You know, sometimes it happens, but a lot of times it doesn't. Uh, and so really it's your job to determine like, okay, what's the best strategy for me to get as many points. Because sometimes, you know, it's not just a multiple choice test.
It could be multiple choice plus some essay or some short answers. Yeah. So you can strategize to be like, all right, I know the essay questions are worth more points. They're gonna take me longer. I'm gonna start there. Um, so that I can like maximize what I get. Absolutely. I love that, that mindset and the way of thinking of that.
Yeah. All right. All right. So we've talked about a lot of the different strategies that you can use before the exam. Sometimes, you know, the weeks or months leading you up to the exam. Um, now how about, let's talk about like during the exam itself. Yeah. So what are, what are some good tips? Yeah, I first would try to get there early.
I know if I'm running late, I'm getting worried. My anxiety's up already. So plan enough time to get there. Maybe 20 minutes early, 15 minutes early just so you can kind of get settled in. Yeah. Sit in a, a preferred seat. Yeah, maybe if possible, choose one that maybe you sit in frequently or a seat that has fewer distractions that will really help you devote your full attention to the exam that you're taking.
Yeah. Um. You might be a human who likes to sit in the front. Maybe that's a best decision with fewer distractions. Yeah. Um, I also think that it's important to remind yourself as you sit down that it's a okay not to know every single answer on the exam or not to know some of the material on the exam.
Yeah. In fact, Most people aren't gonna know that. Right. That's that's very true. Especially depending on how the class is structured. Mm-hmm. , because when I, this is when I studied abroad, when I was in college, like I went to England and literally my entire grade for three of the four classes that I took was based entirely on.
The final exam. Oh, wow. Um, which were essay questions that you didn't know ahead of time, and so you just had to sort of hope that everything you learned in class kind of, you know, sunk in and did all the reading. So it's, it's a lot. It's tough and there's no way, there's no way you could know all that. On a test.
No. Yeah. So going in kind of expecting there might be a curve ball thrown in my direction, . Um, it's okay. Try not to let that get to you. Yeah. And you can always, you know, if you don't know the answer, try to make it an intelligent guess. Or maybe like skip the question for now and then come back to it after you've had time to think.
Mm-hmm. . Um, because you might, other questions might give you a. As to the answers to others, like, if that makes sense. Mm-hmm. . Um, which is good. I also think too, I just wanna kind of interject here quickly. Yeah. I think it's normal for us to have thoughts on the exam of like, I don't know that you have to get panicked, so it's important that when you notice yourself having those thoughts mm-hmm.
to say, Hey, hold on. Let's think more positively, more realistically. Yes. Very good. Now, if someone is like, let's say they start the exam, they really start to fart, funny. Um, they start to feel like really anxious. Yeah. Like even they get like the shakes. Yeah. Um, like what are some quick exercises that folks can do to help themselves calm down?
Yeah, my first go-to for everybody is the deep breathing. So we, when we're just kind of living day to day, um, our breath is actually not super rhythmic. It's really shallow. Mm-hmm. . Um, so we really need to pay attention, especially in those anxious moments to use diaphragmatic breathing or deep belly breathing.
Mm-hmm. . So taking a few deep breaths, um, in and out, making sure you're filling up your stomach as you breathe in can really be calming. Yeah, so that would be my go-to. Mm-hmm. , I think some other things. I'm gonna go right back to that positive self-talk. Pump yourself up, amp yourself up. Make sure you're giving yourself some really good positive statements.
Yes, like I am a boss. I can do this. Yes, yes, I've got this. Yes. Um, some other things too, I don't know if you, like, grounding techniques are also super helpful in these moments. Yeah. Um, some quick things that kind of come to my mind, especially when I'm feeling really anxious, is if I just take a second, I look around the room and I name everything I can see that starts with a letter A.
Okay. Right. Okay. And then if, if that doesn't help, kind of bring me back to the very mo the moment and calm me down. Maybe I'll start. What are all of the red things in the room? Yeah. That just kind of grounds me to the present moment and keeps me calm. Yeah. And then I know probably people are sitting at like a desk or a table when they're taking an exam, but there still are opportunities for you to like move your body and sort of release some of that tension.
So that could be something just as easy as rolling your shoulders. You know, notice is your jaw clenched. Uh, because sometimes that just kind of happens. Um, and we don't even realize it. The same thing with like, unc clenching your shoulders too. Relaxing your shoulders. Yeah. Cause it could be that they're up there, you know, past to your ears Yes.
Up next to your ears and it's really not comfortable. So, um, and then you'd always like, Stretch your back a little bit, stretch from side to side. You can stretch your legs out in front of you if possible. Um, so all of those things might be able to help too. Yeah. I would also check in with yourself about how much you're thinking about the score you're gonna get.
Yeah. While you're taking the exams. Give your brain a giant break from that and let yourself, or allow yourself permission to just focus on the test that you're taking in the moment. Yes. Try not to think too much about what score you're gonna get. Just be present and take the test. Yeah. Um, and then another, another good note is sometimes we'll see like nervous.
Test takers, they're more likely to change correct answers, yeah, to incorrect ones because they start to second guess themselves if they go and review. Um, so it might be, if you're the type of person who does that, a better idea might be for you to carefully work through all of the questions once. Rather than rushing through and going back and checking your answers, um, now you can always return to ones that maybe you weren't sure of.
So maybe that one, that was the curve ball. You leave blank. Yeah. Uh, and you have, give yourself some time to think about it, but I found that that's always helpful for me because I was that person who would go and change their answers. One of the things that I. Completely stressed out about while taking the test was how much time I had left.
Yes. Or I would pay attention to how many people were, this was finished. Finished, right? This was when we actually had paper exams. Right. disclosing a lot about my age. Um, but I would pay attention to how many people had turned in their exams. Mm-hmm. . So I was so focused on, oh no, how much time do I have left where?
try to just not worry about that. Right. And it's, and it's hard too, but everyone takes tests at their own pace. There are some folks who are able to finish things very quickly. Mm-hmm. , there are other folks who take a little bit longer. It is Okay. Uh, so long as you are doing the best that you can. Yeah. In that moment, that's really what matters.
Absolutely. You deserve to take your time. All right folks, well hopefully you find some use and, and, and some of that information. We'll link to the articles that we pulled this information from and we'll also link to the, uh, class offices' website and Peru's website in the description of the podcast so folks know where to go to get those resources.
But wanna say thank you to Sarah. Um, hopefully it came across in this podcast that Sarah's very caring, um, and empathetic individual. She's a great person to talk to. Uh, the students are lucky to have her. Um, but thank you so much, Sarah, for your time and your effort, and thank you all for listening and we will catch you next time on Wellbeing Wednesdays.