Cortisol and Calm. 2 uneasy exam bedfellows!
Knowing how to overcome our worries at exam time is a something that can be learned. When we’re overwhelmed it can be hard to imagine feeling calm and confident, but that’s certainly a state that CAN be achieved, with a bit of practice and some commitment.
Like anything, it takes some self- belief and effort but exam calm can be ours once we understand some basics.
First let’s look at the role Cortisol plays in our exam panic and how it takes front seat, unless we stop it!
Cortisol and panic
Over time, we’ve learned to react in a particular way to a number of things we don’t like- including exams. Studying, tests, homework, essays, reading – there are any number of things around exams that can trigger a negative reaction in students.
Over time, they’ve developed ways of handling the feelings that come up based on previous negative experiences, and they’ve come to expect to feel a particular way.
This nearly always happens when they let their sub conscious mind step in to make their automatic and responses to these unpleasant things. In other words, they aren’t ‘present or noticing what’s happening.
They’ve allowed themselves to ‘default’ to their automatic way of handling unpleasant things – and that might mean baling out of the exam experience!
But this is largely a biological response to the stress hormone Cortisol. Because whilst all this is going on, the Amygdala in their brain is responding to their feelings of stress and pumping Cortisol through their body.
The Cortisol is doing exactly what it was created to do – it keeps the student well away from the fear they anticipate – their exams!
So it’s little wonder that they get spooked and anxious. They’ve let these hormones get triggered by their fear.
Now we know this is an automatic response to fear, and we also know that it happens when students fail to ‘notice’ how they’re feeling and instead, let their automatic feelings take over.
In other words, they don’t step in to act in a way that stops the Cortisol from being triggered in the first place.
So how are they to turn off the Cortisol that does it’s thing when they get stressed by exams?
It seems a tall ask to stop a biological reaction from taking place, but it can be done…!
Turning off the Cortisol Trigger
There’s a 1-2-3 process to stop Cortisol flooding your students’ bodies. Teach them these and they’ll soon be in control of their stress levels!
- Show your students how to notice what’s happening. When they begin to recognise the signs of stress, they’ll be more tuned in to managing it.
- Help them understand what triggers their personal panic. What is it that sets off their individual chain reaction? When they figure this out, they’ll be more aware of the feelings it creates.
- Share calming techniques to slow down their panic and handle stress better. Give them (students and techniques) time to practice so they can discover ways that work for them.
My Exam Stress Bundle has lots of ways to help students turn down their Cortisol levels and find their Calm! You get 2 separate fear-busting topics – Building Exam Resilience and Dealing with Exam Panic. Details here