DON’T LET EXCESSIVE ANXIETY BECOME A ‘YGS’ NIGHTMARE
The experts emphasize that too much anxiety causes failure as the time shortens for “Transition to Higher Education Examination” (YGS), which the university candidates are awaiting anxiously for. Students needed to stay motivated for YGS that will take place on March 23, stated the experts.
Clinical Psychologist Nilgün Köstem, IUE Psychological Development and Counselling Centre Coordinator, made some recommendations to students about how to deal with negative thoughts that may cause failure. Köstem, who indicated that studying hard wasn’t enough for an assured success, said, “We can say that exam anxiety is a common concern for each age group; starting from elementary school to university, and even after university, in career exams people experience this. If a person does not notice they have ‘exam anxiety’ on time and learn to how to deal with this problem, they will experience this anxiety for a lifetime in all the exams they take.”
‘Enough is as good as a feast’
Köstem stated that negative feelings as worry, excitement, panic, stress, etc. to an extent that hinders the knowledge and skills of the student, have a negative impact on the success of the student, and that experiencing a right dosage of anxiety was completely normal and even expected. Köstem said anxiety disorder was diagnosed when it was detrimental to the individual performance. She said everyone experienced exam anxiety differently, and it may have had many physical and mental symptoms. Köstem stated the following:
“We might be facing physical symptoms such as trembling, rapid heartbeats, sweating, chilling, hot flashes, dizziness, nausea, etc., and some mental symptoms as difficulty in focusing, forgetfulness, inattentiveness, distractedness, difficulty in comprehending and expressing. In some cases, behaviours as fidgeting, freezing, and crying may also be experienced.”
Simple yet effective suggestions
Köstem made the following recommendations by stating that the students needed to stay away from negative thoughts:
“Students need to make a realistic assessment about them regarding the causes on why they feel unprepared. If lack of knowledge is the cause, they need to review the topics until the exam. They need to get rid of the disaster scenarios and think about positive and motivational thoughts. An anxious person feels tense physically as well. Therefore, relaxing the tense muscles will automatically comfort our bodies and anxiety eventually. Each student needs to develop a study system to meet their own needs. A stable and regular life has a positive impact on confidence, physical and emotional health of people.”
