A Helpful Exercise For Performance Anxiety

Got a case of performance anxiety? Students who get nervous before tests can ease exam jitters by writing down their worries beforehand.

If pre-exam jitters keep you from getting a good grade, arrive early to class and journal about your worries. A study from the University of Chicago found that writing about one’s anxiety for 10 minutes before a test can improve a student’s performance.

According to the study’s authors, pressure-filled situations can deplete brainpower known as working memory, needed for everyday tasks like test-taking. Writing about your fears before a big event can help free up your mind, so you can focus and perform better. Though this particular study only tested its effects on written exams, researchers speculate that writing down your fears could be useful before any fear-inducing situation.