Managing Test Anxiety - a 2 minute Breathing Exercise for Peak Performance
“The best moments in our lives are not the passive, receptive, relaxing times… The best moments usually occur if a person’s body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile.” – Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Top athletes, actors, salespeople, teachers and exam takers use and repeat short performance routines or rituals to get into and stay in a peak performance state! Learn a short two-minute breathing exercise that gets you in peak mental and physical states for an important meeting, presentation or exam. It is very difficult to be completely calm and relaxed during important meetings. Actually, the opposite is important – we need to be alert and active. Some amount of anxiety is good because it improves our focus and energy levels (See the Yerkes-Dodson Law Bell Curve below). Of course, it helps to remember this curve was generated from experiments on rats and how people respond to stress varies from task to task and from other complex factors! The other lines show possible responses to stress! We can be aware of negative thoughts and feelings; we can accept them and move forward. Research shows that participants who are taught to remember that stress and anxiety can be beneficial tend to do better than those who look at stress negatively. Remind yourself that anxiety is not inherently bad. It can be a source of energy and focus that you can harness. Moreover, embracing the positive qualities of stress can be a self-fulfilling prophecy. Repeat to yourself : “Stress is My Friend” Two breathing techniques – your choice - https://xhalr.com/
Key performance state: Remind yourself that stress is not inherently bad. Remind yourself "Stress is My Friend" Simulate stressful conditions when taking practice tests so you train to be aware of anxiety and understand the gifts of focus, energy, and memory it brings! Step 1 = Body reset – Focus on your breath and key negative emotion – anger, frustration, or fear. Inhale awareness . . . how does your body feel, your heart rate, any tension? Exhale the negative emotion . . . (Practice this for five breaths – typically 20-30 seconds) Step 2 = Mind reset - Inhale fresh air, exhale as a letting go exercise – narrow focus – just the breath. (Practice this for 5 breaths – typically 20-30 seconds) Step 3 = Focus – Think how you want to feel during presentation, test or performance – Calm, Confident, Competent . . . Inhale those states and exhale any residual negative emotions like anxiety, anger or tension (Practice this for 5 breaths – typically 20-30 seconds) Practice is Key! Start this practice at least 2 weeks before the exam/event – just 2-3 minutes every day – several times a day and during breaks in your quiz taking. References Leah Lagos: Heart Breath Mind: Train Your Heart to Conquer Stress and Achieve Success Jill Bolte Taylor Whole Brain Living: The Anatomy of Choice and the Four Characters That Drive Our Life Mrazek, M. D., Franklin, M. S., Phillips, D. T., Baird, B., & Schooler, J. W. (2013). Mindfulness training improves working memory capacity and GRE performance while reducing mind wandering. Psychological science, 24(5), 776-781. Xhalr.com – great free website with both 4-6 (default) and square breathing
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Ideas I want to convey 1. Multi-tasking is considered bad - but multi-tasking is misunderstood. The term "multi-tasking" comes to us from early computer main frames that lay idle because the processor was much faster than input or output modules. This mismatch led computer designers assign multiple tasks to the processor in a sequential manner. The computer processor was so fast, that it appeared to be done simultaneously. Right now, human multi-tasking is wrongly attributed to people doing 1-3 simultaneously - such as attending a phone call and driving at the same time or attending a zoom call as they take care of emails. 2. ADHD is a condition where people lack focus, are easily bored, lack short term memory and are used to impulsive behavior. An "overactive" brain can actually be trained to process large tasks into smaller segments and we can leverage the power of this creative and energetic brain, similar to how computer designers leveraged the fast computer processors to do multiple tasks. =============Start of Article======================= Did you know what these famous people have in common - Albert Einstein, Richard Branson, John F Kennedy and Actor Will Smith have in common? ADHD! These are creative people who are / were very good on working on multiple projects. I suggest a unique perspective: an ADHD brain is often a gifted brain. People who have ADHD, also, seem to possess gifts of creativity, high energy, great people instincts and a love of nature There are some theories that ADHD is part of a warrior mentality that evolved to being rapidly responsive to attacks from multiple fronts. When adults complain that they have Adult ADHD or their children have been diagnosed with ADHD - ADD is a now-outdated term that is typically used to describe inattentive-type ADHD, which has symptoms including disorganization, lack of focus, and forgetfulness. They feel that they have a choice of taking drugs or just living with the condition. However, I have a very different perspective about ADHD. When students complain about their adult ADHD brain or that their children have been diagnosed with ADHD, I urge them to look at it as a gift. Please do not misunderstand me - undiagnosed or severe ADHD can cause performance problems, relationship issues, high anxiety and other lifestyle problems. Always get professional help and medication can be appropriate for certain situations. We all live in an ADHD world - we have trouble paying attention, we have hyperactive brains, we lose our temper and the list is endless. Fortunately, we can leverage our hyper-active brain to be a great tool for our ADHD world. Multi-tasking done the way computers do it, can improve our productivity and effectiveness. There is a big outcry about "Multi-tasking" - the act of doing multiple things at the same time. The word "Multi-tasking" comes to us from Computer Science. Computers tend to have a very fast processing speed - so the CPU (the brain of the computer) processes data much faster than it receives it or gives it out (input and output). Therefore, CPU multi-task - that means they work sequentially at multiple tasks that are put in front of them. It appears the computer is working at those jobs simultaneously - however, the CPU is actually processing it one task at a time. If you multi-task - you should do one thing at a time - but may at much shorter intervals than you normally do. Similarly, our hyperactive minds can actually be trained to do multiple tasks rapidly, efficiently and, often effectively. The Good News - most of us benefit by being good at multi-tasking because it is a great way to deal with our "ADHD" world. We can do multiple tasks like computers - sequentially - one task at a time in narrow focused ways that fit our brain "styles". I am a big fan of the research done by Dr Adele Diamond, a neuroscience researcher at University British Columbia, Canada (see her research website link below). She contends that Attentional Control - being able to inhibit distraction so you can focus -and stay focused is a skill that can be taught to all adult and children. We can train our minds. There are 3 core Executive Functions in the pre-front cortex - the brain in the top front of our head and controls three important areas (See research website link below) We use these skills every day to learn, work, and manage daily life. Trouble with executive function can make it hard to focus, follow directions, and handle emotions, among other things. 1. Inhibitory Control - our ability to stop reacting and respond to situations 2. Working Memory - our ability to remember important things at the right right 3. Cognitive Flexibility - to be flexible in our emotions, feelings and thoughts I repeat - "Traditional" multi-tasking can overload our brain resources, however, if we do tasks one at a time in short intervals (as done by a computer processor), we can leverage our ADHD brains. I relate to some of these challenges and I leverage my hyperactive brain for multi-tasking in the following three ways: 1. I use the "Pomodoro" Technique: When I have an important task that I have little interest in doing, I set a timer for 25 minutes and just focus on doing that. It does not matter, if I am staring at the computer screen, I will work on that project. Surprisingly, my creative mind will find some fun aspect of the task and I get going. At the end of the 25 minutes, I get to do something fun. I set most of my meetings, report writing and this newsletter creation to 25 minutes or less. Please understand you may have a different time threshold. The goal is to do tasks in chunks that fit your brain. See a short 5 minute Youtube tutorial below. 2. I schedule appointments with myself for creative work: My most creative work is in the early morning. So I will set time slots in the morning for those projects. I will use evening and afternoons slots for meeting times because my social energy is highest at those time. I have a priority list of boring and creative tasks. I mix and match them. 3.I take time to recharge: Irrespective of the cold weather in Chicago, I make it a point to go outside. There is no bad weather . . . only bad clothing! I am fortunate to live within a few miles of some beautiful forest perseveres, Just a 30 minute brisk walk helps my brain reset itself. I take time work on origami or other art projects. Tai Chi also helps me bring my "mind" under control. What are some of your favorite ideas for multi-tasking? Do you want to learn more about how to leverage your or your child's ADHD brain, reach out to me for more details. If you liked this article, check out my other Blog article Three Valuable Lessons ADHD students taught me about the power of meditation https://www.meditation-magic.com/blog/3-valuable-lessons-adhd-students-taught-me-about-the-power-of-meditation References Pomodoro Technique - a great 5 minute video on the history and method of improve our effectiveness and efficiency in spite of having short attention spans and procrastination challenges. https://youtu.be/mNBmG24djoY You’d never guess these famous people have ADHD https://www.news24.com/health24/medical/adhd/about-adhd/Ten-of-the-most-successful-people-with-ADHD-20140718 Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience - Lab of Adele Diamond http://www.devcogneuro.com/ ” If you listen to your body when it whispers….you won’t have to hear it scream.”
John, an engineer, felt very angry and anxious at work. He felt that his boss hated him. He suffered from back-aches, headaches and upset stomach. He felt very depressed about going to work. In addition to working with his psychologist, a friend suggested that he learn meditation from me. As he worked on his meditation practice, he was surprised to note a wide variety of physical symptoms, such as butterflies in his tummy and tension in his neck and shoulders. John, now knows, that relaxation is just a by-product of meditation; the primary goal of meditation is to understand the mind, to understand that stress manifests and comes from our thoughts, stories and the way we choose to look at life. Feelings like anger and anxiety are signals and, often are present as tension or pain in the body. He realized his moods are created by his perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs - what he says about something or someone. The first step I taught John, was to listen to his body – because much of our strong feelings like joy, anger, anxiety and pleasure are felt in our body. Fortunately, John was a regular yoga practitioner, and it was easy for him to understand the signals and respond to them. He was able to learn to relax his body within a few minutes by paying attention to the tense areas of his body. He leveraged anxiety and stress to focus on his work and learned to let go when he came back home. His regular walks and yoga practice helped him find the balance. His headaches and backaches have reduced significantly and he is getting to sleep better too. Mental training for toughness and resilience is about:
Here are 3 simple steps you can do to listen and respond to your body!
Do these regularly and you can see the improvement in your heart and brain and see progress in how you handle anger, stress or anxiety. In future articles, we will discuss the role of posture and, our perceptions and attitudes, thoughts, feelings and stories to change our moods. Most online stress measurement tools use an "life-event" method to determine your stress levels. If you have a divorce, a job loss or major illness; you are considered to have high stress levels. However, the problem with this approach is that it does not measure our daily activities and how we react to this. We may have a boss that we do not like or our stress related to specific relationships may be increasing in small but significant measures. The best analogy I found for stress assessment is that of RPE - (Rating of Perceived Exertion by Borg) to measure the intensity of your daily exercise routine. Instead of using a heart-monitor or trying to measure your pulse, you can estimate the intensity of your exercise by how hard you feel you are working out. You give yourself a rating of 6-20 - 6 being no exertion at all and 20 being very intense exercise. Typical walking can have RPE levels of 9-12 while intense aerobics may cause you to give a rating 16-19. While this may seem subjective, your mind is pretty good at assessing your exercise intensity. These measures are often as sensitive as heart monitors or pulse counter techniques. http://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/everyone/measuring/exertion.html A similar method is used to assess your stress levels. Dr. Sheldon Cohen of Carnegie Mellon University pioneered in a unique self-assessment technique for stress called PSS (Perceived Stress Scale). Similar to RPE above, you are asked to estimate your own level of stress based on the uncertainty, lack of control and overload that exists in various areas of your life. Here are two websites that give help you self-assess your stress levels based on Dr. Cohen's technique. Try this Stress Vulnerability Self-Test online https://www.test-stress.com/en/perceived-stress-test.php You may also have a hard copy printed out from the MindGarden.com website and use it to assess your stress levels during the week. http://www.mindgarden.com/docs/PerceivedStressScale.pdf The University of Minnesota - Twin Cities campus offers an online screening for depression, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, generalized anxiety, post-traumatic stress, and alcohol. http://www.mentalhealth.umn.edu/screening/ The bottom line - the few minutes you take to become aware of your stress levels and the causes for it - actually will help you lower your stress levels. These free screenings are taken anonymously. I suggest you use your browser in incognito mode when you do this test, if you wish complete privacy. Please remember these tests and screenings are not a substitute for a clinical evaluation. Contact a health professional for more information and a complete exam. Do you have your own method of assessing your stress levels? I would love to hear about it! https://vimeo.com/431630745 - check this link for a video of the podcast Check out https://podcast.cyphercon.com/home-episode-slider/ Explore interviews with hackers involved with CypherCon, Wisconsin’s Hacker Conference. CypherCon attracts over 1000 attendees every Spring in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. We live in times of extreme uncertainty and rapid changes and we also have the art, science and technology of hacking our own minds. By applying simple skills, we have the ability to experience love, peace and joy. Most of us run away from thoughts or feelings that are painful for us. In some cases, we can benefit by examining and acting on those painful and uncomfortable feelings. Meditation techniques are touted as “stress relaxation” techniques but, actually, we have several focus and awareness exercises along with bio-feedback devices that can help us be in relaxed and empowered mind-states to make us feel love, joy and peace. As a simple analogy to brain hacking is the process of ethical hacking, a powerful tool used by cybersecurity professionals to protect their organization. The table above shows the five common steps to most ethical hacking processes. The main objective is to find important vulnerabilities in systems and organizations and strengthen them. Brain Hacking is a similar process. We try to find “roots” of our pain and suffering and see if we can remove them. Challenges, difficulties, shocks and pain are inevitable but we can respond to situations and alleviate our suffering. In Brain Hacking 101, we will discuss the first three steps to train our brain to feel love, joy and peace often. Step 1 – Reconnaissance / Cultivating Awareness Reconnaissance – an 18th century French word that means recognize or explore. The ethical hacker starts her research about the organization and IT networks and see what information is available in public domain and in the dark web. The easiest analogy in human self-hacking is to start observing our mind and body – awareness practice. It may be as simple as journaling our life story or talking to a trusted friend about our challenges Step 2 – Scanning/ Mindfulness – awareness without judgment In ethical hacking, scanning involves working on the actual IT system or walking around the physical building. Such scanning may help the hacker find obvious vulnerabilities – such as guest account without password or an opening in the fence. The equivalent in brain hacking is to record our stories with compassion and without judgement. Acknowledging that we are in pain and we suffer. Step 3 – Gaining Access/ Access to Love, Joy and Peace Normally, by this time, the ethical hacker gains access to a user account using multiple tools.. Practicing mindfulness (awareness without judgement), similarly, allows us to be aware of the underlying love, joy and peace most of us have. Sometimes, it may be fleeting. Nevertheless, it is there for us to access. Step 4 – Maintaining Access/ Building our CORE values Once the ethical hacker gets access into the system, she may try to get to high level users (admin account) or try to access to other user accounts and resources. A person who practices meditation regularly, often, feels their behaviors and core values align. There is a deeper connection in important relationships, a sense of optimism and resilience and higher energy levels. We get better at understanding our own flaws and challenges and become more compassionate to the struggles of others. Check this article on more details about CORE - https://www.meditation-magic.com/blog/three-practices-to-a-stronger-and-more-resilient-you Step 5 – Reporting & Remediation/ Transformation After the ethical hacker has completed her testing, she will create a formal report and suggest an appropriate remediation and mitigation plan. The hacker takes care not to mess with any valuable data or resources. Similarly, continued mindfulness practices often helps find a path to purposeful and meaningful life. It is not a perfect life but a life that helps us to understand that we live in an interconnected world and we, often, can thrive through service and dedication to a cause greater than us. I am interested in exploring more. What do I do next? Check out these resources and commit to a daily contemplation/meditation practice. Best wishes on your journey! I look forward to your comments, suggestions and questions. Meditation Basics from Dr K – Vimeo/ Blog Links Dr K Meditation - Finding Joy in Uncertain Times - https://vimeo.com/415370883 https://vimeo.com/431630745 - check this link for a video of the podcast Check out these blog articles for more information https://www.meditation-magic.com/blog/easy-way-to-start-meditating-daily https://www.meditation-magic.com/blog/three-grateful-ways-to-access-joy-and-happiness https://www.meditation-magic.com/blog/key-to-happiness-cultivate-our-capacity-for-kindness https://www.meditation-magic.com/blog/common-misconceptions-about-meditation-and-mindfulness-practices References Jon Kabat-Zinn, Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life Daniel Goleman and Richard J. Davidson, Altered Traits: Science Reveals How Meditation Changes Your Mind, Brain, and Body Sam Harris – great podcasts, books and app - https://samharris.org/books/ |
a guided finger meditationEngage your senses with soothing music, guided imagery and a labyrinth tracing activity which leverages the power of touch. Click the album cover to learn more. Categories
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