Correlation Between Stress And Anxiety

Being nervous is a normal phenomenon prior to taking a test. The degree of nervousness however may be correlated to how prepared someone is for their exam. I personally felt nervous and stressed throughout the 2 or 3 days leading up to the day I took my practical. I was even more nervous as I was standing behind the door, prior to walking in to be examined. The anticipation alone can increase the stress levels. However, as soon as I entered the lab I started taking deep breaths to decrease my heart rate and reduce the stress.
I believe being nervous and stressed takes away some of your ability to think straight or perform well on a practical. It can also cause someone to over think their moves and second guess themselves, which typically leads to changing your answers to the wrong answers. I think being nervous can be good to a certain degree as it can motivate you to study more and prepare better for an exam, but being nervous during a test or practical may have the opposite effect.
One of the strategies I typically use to help with my stress is combining studying with working out. In the specific case of preparing for the practical, I studied in intervals meaning I studied for an hour and followed it by a quick 20 minute workout at home. I did that every day for the 2-3 days leading up to the practical.
The morning of the practical I went
The above mentioned strategies are ones that I use on a daily basis to get ready for stressful events in or outside of school. I have been a soccer player for years so running has turned into my meditation. It helps take my mind off stressful events and helps me deal with nerve wracking situations with a calm mindset. The only regret I have is not having started studying for the practical a little earlier. Had I done that my stress levels would have been lessened as I was preparing for the