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How to beat nerves

　　Do you blank out, freeze up(呆住)or feel so nervous in exams that you have trouble writing answers to questions that you knew just last night?

　　If so, you likely have a case of test anxiety．

　　But, don’t panic．By recognizing the problem, you are taking the first step towards overcoming it．

　　Believe it or not, a touch of nervousness can sharpen your mind, allowing you to perform more quickly．This is because under stress, the body releases the hormone adrenaline(肾上腺素), which prepares it for something important that will happen．However, too much anxiety can result in sleeplessness, loss of appetite before tests, and poor performance．Some people might feel shaky(weak), hot, or even sick．

　　If you worry a lot or are a perfectionist, you are more likely to have trouble with test anxiety．Those who have prepared poorly for a test or have had negative experiences taking tests may also experience test anxiety．

　　When you feel a storm of anxiety coming on, stop what you're doing and make your mind a blank．If possible, actually tell yourself to ‘STOP!’ This will get your mind off the stress．Then think of being at a place of comfort and let your body relax．As you continue the test, find questions you know the answers to and answer them first．This will help restore your confidence．

　　Talk to yourself using positive language．Make it a habit to replace each negative thought with a logical reason．For example：“I've studied hard and I know the material, so I’m ready to do the best I can．”Another thing you can do is to learn to accept mistakes．In fact, they can be valuable learning opportunities．

　　Last but not least, start test preparation early three to five days ahead of the quiz or test．After all, good study habits and skills．for example, time management and note-taking will give you the feeling that you are in control．

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　　Ask Steveland Wonder and he’ll tell you that blindness is not necessarily disabling．Stevie was born prematurely and totally without sight in 1950．He became composer, singer, and pianist．As a winner of ten Grammy awards, Stevie is widely acclaimed for his outstanding contributions to the music world．

　　As a child, Stevie learned not to think about the things he could not do, but to concentrate on the things that he could do．His parents encouraged him to join his sighted brothers in as many activities as possible．They also helped him to sharpen his sense of hearing, the sense upon which the visually(视觉的)disabled are so dependent．Because sound was so important to him, Stevie began at an early age to experiment with different kinds of sound．He would bang things together and then imitate the sound with his voice．Often relying on sound for entertainment, he sang, beat on toy drums, played a toy harmonica, and listened to the radio．

　　Stevie soon graduated from toy instruments to real instruments．He first learned to play the drums．He then mastered the harmonica and the piano．He became a member of the junior church choir and a lead singer．In the evenings and on weekends, Stevie would play different instruments and sing popular rhythm and blues tunes on the front porches of neighbors’ homes．

　　One of Stevie’s sessions was overheard by Ronnie White, a member of a popular singing group called The Miracles．Ronnie immediately recognized Stevie’s talent and took him to audition(试听) for Berry Gordy, the president of Hitsville USA, a large recording company now known as Motown．Stevie recorded his first smash hit “Fingertips” in 1962 at age twelve, and the rest of Stevie’s story is music history．

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How to beat nerves

　　Do you blank out, freeze up(呆住)or feel so nervous in exams that you have trouble writing answers to questions that you knew just last night？

　　If so, you likely have a case of test anxiety．

　　But, don’t panic．By recognizing the problem, you are taking the first step towards overcoming it．

　　Believe it or not, a touch of nervousness can sharpen your mind, allowing you to perform more quickly．This is because under stress, the body releases the hormone adrenaline(肾上腺素), which prepares it for something important that will happen．However, too much anxiety can result in sleeplessness, loss of appetite before tests, and poor performance．Some people might feel shaky(weak), hot, or even sick．

　　If you worry a lot or are a perfectionist, you are more likely to have trouble with test anxiety．Those who have prepared poorly for a test or have had negative experiences taking tests may also experience test anxiety．

　　When you feel a storm of anxiety coming on, stop what you're doing and make your mind a blank．If possible, actually tell yourself to‘STOP！’This will get your mind off the stress．Then think of being at a place of comfort and let your body relax．As you continue the test, find questions you know the answers to and answer them first．This will help restore your confidence．

　　Talk to yourself using positive language．Make it a habit to replace each negative thought with a logical reason．For example：“I've studied hard and I know the material, so I’m ready to do the best I can”．Another thing you can do is to learn to accept mistakes．In fact, they can be valuable learning opportunities．

　　Last but not least, start test preparation early three to five days ahead of the quiz or test．After all, good study habits and skills．for example, time management and note-taking will give you the feeling that you are in control．

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