The Student News Site of Gannon University since 1947

THE GANNON KNIGHT

The Student News Site of Gannon University since 1947

THE GANNON KNIGHT

The Student News Site of Gannon University since 1947

THE GANNON KNIGHT

Student discovers it is never too late to learn some new study tricks

All my life, I have struggled with test anxiety. For those who don’t know, test anxiety is a psychological condition in which people experience extreme distress and anxiety in testing situations.
Growing up, I had great grades and put my all into the work I produced, but when it came to tests, the hard work didn’t show.
I never understood why I was struggling so much. The day before I would know everything and I would study all night, but as soon as I sat down to take the test my mind would completely blank.
It wasn’t until high school when I learned what I had. Thankfully, the classes I took weren’t too hard. I did really well in English, but history, science and math were another story.
When I got to college, I was nervous for the upcoming tests that I would have to take.
I was honestly afraid I would eventually flunk out and not be able to pursue my dreams. Thankfully, my classes didn’t test much, but the ones that did, I did not do amazing, but I passed.
Since then, I have been trying my best to improve, but still struggle to do as great as I know I can.
Recently, my friend Tosha shared a few self-care and study tips with me. I really took these seriously, as I was excited to try anything that could help.
She mentioned that self-care goes hand in hand with doing well in school: getting enough sleep, taking time to treat yourself and eating breakfast and foods that are good for you are essential.
I decided that night to take these skills and put them into work, especially since I did have a test the next day.
That night I went home and studied for two hours. After that, I went to bed a bit earlier than I usually do. Most nights I stay up watching YouTube and Tik Toks. Honestly, I watch whatever will keep my attention that evening.
The next morning, I went to breakfast with my roommate. Most mornings I grab a granola bar to hold me over before lunch. I had a nice selection of eggs, bacon and hash browns. Taking time to not only eat an actual breakfast, but enjoy time with someone else was a nice way to start to a soon-to-be crazy day.
After she left for class, I made my way to the office to see Chloe, our features editor. She asked if I wanted to join her on her adventure to Starbucks. I decided to tag along since I was nervous for my test and needed a distraction.
We ended up sitting down at a booth and chatting before heading back to the office before classes started. Instead of the usual thing I get at Starbucks, a strawberry acai refresher, I got a frappucino and a cake pop as a fun treat. I wanted a bit of sugar to get me pumped for the day.
I ended up walking into my test super confident and ready to face what was ahead of me. As I started the test, I was excited that I knew the answers to the questions presented to me.
Taking time to care for myself not only made me more confident, but gave me hope for the upcoming tests I’ll have to take.

OLIVIA HAHNER
[email protected]

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