From Stress to Success in 2025: Practical Strategies for Managing Anxiety During Tests and Interviews
The stress response is your body’s natural alarm system. It evolved over millennia to keep us safe from danger, and is a tremendous asset in a physically threatening situation. But it can’t differentiate between real threats and imagined ones.
If you smell smoke, your body’s alarm system – the stress system – kicks into action even before you are consciously aware of what’s happening. But it will also go off when your conscious brain tells it something not so dangerous is a threat – something like a standardized test or an important interview.
People with anxiety have a heightened or excessive response to normal, everyday occurrences. The brain responds to the idea of an interview – or a test, or heights, or whatever the fear is – the same way our ancestors responded to a saber-toothed tiger in the woods.
The first steps are to notice, in detail, what happens to your body when you get nervous. The physical symptoms of stress are increased heart rate, shallow breathing, a slowing or shutting off of the digestive system, tense muscles, and heightened awareness. Which of these do you notice in your body? Where in your body do you feel them? Which do you feel most strongly?
You can also notice your thoughts. What is the dialogue going on in your head – possibly beneath your awareness, and probably very quickly? Common thoughts are along the lines of: “I (or You) can't do this, I’m bad at this, I’m going to flunk and I’ll never get in, those other people are way better at this than I am”, “My parents are going to be disappointed/angry”....
Wow, no wonder you’re anxious! Here are tips to reduce the unhelpful stress.
Remember that some level of stress is helpful. So don’t stress about stressing! Instead, let it motivate you to study and prepare.
Stress is a problem when it interferes with your desired results. If you get so stressed during a test that you can’t concentrate, that is not helpful!
It’s also a problem if your scores are good but you are emotionally consumed by it, so you are unhappy all the time. A test or interview isn’t a saber-tooth tiger.
In some cases, seeing a therapist can be very effective in overcoming anxiety. Research shows that a therapist who specializes in CBT – cognitive behavioral therapy – will likely be the best choice for overcoming specific anxieties like test anxiety.
Learning mindfulness or working with a yoga therapist can also be very helpful. Modern research has proven the effectiveness of these ancient techniques (some of which are remarkably similar to CBT.) The next few items will help you relax your body, which in turn will begin to relax your mind:
Relax your jaw by opening it as wide as you can, perhaps yawning. The jaw is an often-overlooked body joint. (For some, eating crunchy things can also release tension, but that can bring added negative consequences too.)
Notice your shoulders. Are they tense? Coming up toward your ears? Consciously lower them down. Exhale to allow them to relax. Repeat.
Are your hips tight? We store a lot of tension there. Try walking around or stretching to loosen them.
Notice your breath and slow it down. Rapid breathing is part of the stress response. When you slow down your breathing, you’re telling your brain that it’s out of danger.
To get more experience in these sensations, try a yoga class or a massage. Look for yoga classes billed as “gentle”, “slow flo”, or even chair yoga, with an experienced teacher, for emphasis on stretching and breathing. Now we’ll work on those damaging thoughts:
Notice your thoughts. To do so, when you are feeling stressed, focus on your internal monologue. What are you telling yourself? Whose voice do you hear?
Without obsessing, see if you can match the thought with a particular experience or person in your history.
Ask yourself – is this thought accurate? Even if it was accurate once, does it still apply to me now, in this current situation?
Develop affirmative statements you can tell yourself instead of the unhelpful thoughts in your head. It has to be something that you really believe, so spend some time thinking of something effective. For example, if your inner voice is saying “I’m a bad test taker”, simply turning it around – “I’m a good test taker!” – won’t work unless you truly believe it. Instead, try something like, “I’m prepared for this test.” You can try out different ways to manage your energy level:
Check your caffeine intake. Caffeinated drinks might give you wings – but they also put your body into a stress response with heightened heart rate, shallow breathing, changed digestion. Sugar can temporarily have the same effect.
As much as possible, keep a balanced schedule. Endless extra hours studying won’t necessarily improve your score. Getting sleep and exercise, along with sufficient study, can actually lead to better results than overstudying. Really!!!
Get outside! Being in nature has a calming effect on the body. Notice the trees, feel the sun – or wind, or rain – on your skin. You’ll study again later.
Try taking short study breaks doing something you love and that recharges you, makes you feel more energetic. Dance to a song, shoot a few baskets, knit a few rows.
Laughter is a great way to break tension. Watch funny videos or call a funny friend. (Just be sure to set an alarm so you don’t lose track of time.) For best results, keep at it!
Remember that this is not a “one and done” activity. Keep noticing your monologue. Keep reminding yourself of your affirmative statements. Revise them if necessary.
Same for your physical responses. Keep reminding yourself to breathe deeply. Keep checking your muscles and joints for tension and finding ways to release.
If you would like to discuss having a coach to get your through your college essay and application process or med school essay, feel free to reach out anytime.