How To Reframe To Experience Less Exam Pressure
Some great things in my life happen because I plan, and stick to the plan, and I complete the plan, that is an unarguable truth, but there is another truth as well: some great things have happened when the plan has not worked out, when it initially felt like a failure, but then led to unforeseen opportunities.
And this is the pearl of wisdom that can help reduce exam pressure. When going about my life and working with clients I am always on the lookout for absolutistic thinking. Absolutistic thinking is effectively laying down laws to a universe that is not going to hear them. This leads to excessive pressure, and inevitably disappointment and frustration.
You can catch absolutistic thinking in your own thoughts or the thoughts of others by listening out for words such as MUST or MUST NOT, SHOULD or SHOULD NOT or HAVE TO. Where you find these words you will find excessive pressure.
Exams are important, there is no denying that, they are likely the next step in a plan that feels like the only path life can take, so they can feel like the be-all and end-all, but that is not the best way to go into them.
Everything in life is a chance to test a path, if you take to it then it is a good path and worth sticking to. If you do not take to it then it is the wrong path and it is best to find out as early as possible. The best possible outcome can lead to troubles in other ways, and the worst possible outcome can lead to amazing opportunities that you would never have thought of before.
I know this from experience as I enjoyed every one of my A Level exams, I answered the questions with aplomb and enthusiasm, but for reasons unknown, my final results were not good enough to go to the universities I had chosen. The bottom fell out of my world. I took a year to reassess and then started a new plan which led me to where I am now where I am extremely happy. I feel like I am right where I was always supposed to be, but this is not what I foresaw when I was 18. This was an important lesson to learn early in life.
Instead of going into exams thinking I MUST ace this, I HAVE to pass this, I MUST NOT fail, then this is applying too much pressure. If you go in thinking this is what I WANT right now, I really WANT this, I really WANT to pass this, I am doing it because I WANT to, then you will find yourself in a much better frame of mind.
This is a link to my hypnotic audio designed to help relieve exam pressure, and therefore increase exam confidence – it is on sale at a 50% discount until the end of May, and still very reasonable after that :o)
https://www.lifechangeexperience.co.uk/hypnotic-audios/p/increased-confidence-for-up-coming-exams