[Larxene]

Currently I'm taking my exams. Haven't been studying much. My brain keeps telling me I won't succeed because I didn't study. Some other things came up and my brain kept imagining worst case scenarios. It keeps creating slippery slope arguments about the future outcomes of this exam.

"What if this happens again?"
"You've been unable to answer these questions in the past..."
"You won't get to study in _____ if you fail!! OMG!!"


Any suggestions to cure this devil in my mind?

Emotional support would be appreciated if you're inclined to extend some.

 

[LeelaWho]

Work on your sense of humor. I've found that people who get scared and paranoid easily tend to take things too seriously.

I'm not saying become a prankster, but just learn to enjoy things. Even if you have to analyze "why" it's funny.

Humorous things I look for:

*Incongruity: Things that don't belong together.
*Surprise/shock: The unexpected
*Exaggeration: Making something so extreme that it's funny
*Rigidity: Something so stiff that it's inflexibility makes it funny. Often seen in deadpan humor.
*Contrasts/Comparisons: Often seen in how characters play off each other, especially if their personalities tend to go opposite directions.
*Unusual use of words: Example: The food we can't eat we can, and anyone who can't can fast enough gets canned.

 

[Larxene]

Yeah, in common parlance I'm what you call "the person who takes things too seriously." For me it's a matter of being afraid of being incompetent.

Humor does help...Perhaps I could imagine my situation as cartoon strips and insert funny commentaries. That'll be fun.

What helps most is knowing that I'm already competent. It takes effort to convince myself that though.

 

[Finagle]

The impossibly bad scenarios that you make in your mind are as likely as the impossibly good ones.

Maybe you'll pass the exam with a perfect score, get to study in _____ and get a superb job.

Thinking negatively is just a waste of mental energy. You don't know how you will do in your exam but you know you have to study. Do your best, then, and wait until you actually fail to become anxious. A relaxed mind will do better at the exam.

 

[Kormoran]

Probably a bit late for your exams, but still good, innit?