Test Anxiety and Stress Management
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Dr. Eugene Dunne\’s Lunch Workshop on Test Anxiety and Stress Management
- Timmons Hall, March 25th, 2025, 12 pm – 1 pm
- I learned about various and important aspects of test anxiety and management during Dr. Dunne\’s workshop, including what causes test anxiety, why do we have it, and methods to manage it short-term and long-term. Causes of test anxiety include not being prepared for the exams, not getting enough sleep, cramming instead of spread-out studying. Stress is a normal process that everyone experiences in their lifetime, and stress can be beneficial in some areas. However, excessive stress, on the other hand, is not beneficial and can lead to anxiety, which has many negative aspects. Anxiety during exams can negatively impact our memory and recall, and make us perform even worse on exams. Therefore, its critical to be able to manage it when it arises. Dr. Dunne provided a number of methods to manage test anxiety, such as doing a short meditation sequence prior to the exam, breathe slower to calm down the body\’s stress response, and getting a good night\’s sleep before the exam. Additionally, for long-term management, its important to have a balance of work and relaxation during the day, even simple ways like taking a 5 minute walk can be very beneficial. Regular exercise, yoga, and balanced diet can help too.
- The presentation and lecture by Dr. Dunne on test anxiety and management relate to concepts, ideas, and methods discussed by Dr. Dunne in his dental anxiety lectures, and the anxiety management advice and methods can be applied both to myself in exam situations and to patients as well for patients who experience dental anxiety. This presentation can help with my career goals in providing best patient care and management when I start seeing patients in the clinic.