Taking Tests - Relief For Negative Self-Talk

What on earth is Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) and how can it deal with negative self-talk, which is a natural part of our human experience? If you experience anxiety when taking test or exams, you probably already know, criticizing yourself doesn't work. The "fake it till you make it" approach doesn't either when you feel you have limited attempts to make it, such as when taking important tests like SAT, ACT or board or entrance exams.

The Irony of Acceptance
Acceptance is the foundation of the Testing Wizardry e-workbook. On one hand, it may feel counterproductive to accept our anxiety. On the other, ask yourself if fighting anxiety has helped. Has it allowed you to feel more peace with the testing process or has frustration and anxiety even intensified?

Accepting the feelings that we have around test-taking does not keep us in the state of testing fear; rather it allows us to come to terms with it. Coming to terms, can be both rational and emotional. However, rational acceptance of distress doesn't do much.

Emotional Freedom Techniques-A Unique Chinese Meridian Approach
This is where EFT comes in. It aligns us with personal acceptance by applying meridian theory. This approach is based on Chinese medicine, which has been around for over 2,500 years. The details of EFT's application can be learned here from the free manual. For our purposes, it's important to know that EFT is NOT a rational approach to relieving test anxiety. It is not a psychological approach either.

If you are like most of us, you already know the reason why you find testing uncomfortable. You don't need to explore those feelings. You just want relief, so that you can connect to greater possibilities for success in life.

Negative feelings around testing can have lots of reasons. Fear of success is often a big one. This is a part of human growth and development. Fear of the unknown is related. We may think we want to move forward in life but subconsciously fear what we don't know.

A Simple Experiment
The negative feelings we have around these issues can be lessened. You may find that by simply acknowledging these fear that you can move beyond the problem. Here's a simple experiment to see.

Take a reading on a scale from 1-10 on how you feel about the following test-anxiety topics.

"Fear of success Fear of unknown High stakes Negative dialog over what you've been told
Now repeat out loud, "I accept that I have _____ (topic)." For example, "I accept that I have a fear of success. " Next, take another 1-10 reading to see how you feel. Do you feel better? Wait 15 minutes and take another reading. If you still feel better then you're a long way toward slaying the dragon of test anxiety.

If your feelings didn't get better or even intensified, then you're the type of tough case that Testing Wizardry has been written for. Feel how applying the meridians can make all the difference.

Yang-chu Higgins, MA, EFT-Adv, is a Chinese medicine practitioner specializing in relieving insomnia and the effects of stress living in Los Angeles. You can learn more and sign up for a free newsletter at his website, Vytal Pathways

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