Managing anxiety around exams and other assessment activities
Anxiety evolved as a ‘fight or flight response’. Its initial evolutionary function was to keep us safe from things that we perceive might physically harm us, for example, bears, lions, heights and so on. Anxiety is an essential emotion that can sometimes make us feel uncomfortable but it has been necessary for our and our ancestors’ survival.
We may feel anxious when things are important to us or when a relatively uncommon or new experience takes place. Some people find that exams, assessments or delivering a presentation may come into this category and this is why we may experience some of the symptoms discussed below.
Adrenaline, the main chemical component of anxiety, does amazing things to our bodies; some of these things can feel scary if we don’t know why but they have a good evolutionary reason. It is important to remember that our body will never produce more adrenaline than it requires, and the physical sensations of anxiety cannot harm us.
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