This is a chapter from my new ebook: ‘Freedom from Exam Stress’
CHAPTER 8
OVERWHELM – HOW TO CLEAR THE MIST
Have you ever felt overwhelmed in the build up to your exams? The feeling can come at any time, often when the days are running by and it seems like you have a mountain to climb. You have so much to do, where to start?
An example that comes to mind, is one of a student I have worked with previously. He was in the last year of his degree, it was five days before his final exam and he was feeling overwhelmed and panicking.
When I spoke to him his fears were: have I done enough work? Have I done the right work? He felt that he was against the clock and no matter how much he read over his notes, it just wasn’t going in. That mist had descended into his mind and the fear of failure had taken a hold.
With tapping he had calmed down significantly and the end was in sight. He proceeded with a clearer head which enabled him to embrace more logical thought. It was apparent that he had indeed carried out some quality work and with the realisation of this, he was able to then focus on his next piece. Also, this session was done over the phone.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed at the moment what are the strongest negative emotions? It’s common to feel stressed, anxious, worried you have too much to do and panicking. Scale how you feel (0-10). 0 Would indicate no pressure, 8, 9 or 10 would show a level of desperation.
We will now start to tap on the body’s acupressure points to help release those fears.
Using your index and middle finger, lightly tap your karate chop point and repeat all the phrases below.
“Even though I am feeling overwhelmed, I accept myself and how I feel.”
“Even though I am panicking and time is running out, I accept myself and how I feel.”
“Even though I have too much to do and don’t know where to start, I accept myself and how I feel.”
Repeat the reminder phrase below as you tap on the body’s acupressure points. Start with the top of the head and follow through. Lightly tap about five times on each point, don’t worry if you miss a point out, just focus on the words. Do the sequence twice.
“I feel overwhelmed, am panicking and have too much to do.”
Take a deep breath, scale the level of stress is it the same or has it changed? It’s common to experience a shift in the way you feel. If the negative emotion is still relative high we tap again introducing still.
Tapping the karate chop point, repeat all the phrases below.
“Even though I am still feeling overwhelmed. What if I was able to release some of that pressure, as it’s not helping?”
“Even though I am still panicking because time is running out. What if I was able to focus on one thing at a time and just do the work?”
“Even though I still have too much to do. What if I allowed myself to keep it simple and just fit the next piece in the puzzle?”
Repeat the reminder phrase below as you tap on the body’s acupressure points. Do the sequence twice.
“What if I was able to relax and feel confident?”
“What if I was able to focus on one thing at a time, trust myself and just do the work?”
“What if I allowed myself to keep it simple and just fit the next piece in the puzzle?”
Take a deep breath, scale your level of stress again. At this stage you should feel more relaxed, calmer. If however your negative emotions are still quite strong, tap another few rounds focusing on the negative.
When your mind feels clearer and you feel more confident, we will now tap focusing just on the positive using ‘I choose’.
Tapping the karate chop point, repeat all the phrases below.
“I choose to be open to the possibility that I can stay in the moment, be free of worry, clear my head and feel confident that I can view taking this exam as a challenge not a threat.”
“I choose to take this as an opportunity to show what I have learned, focus on taking one step at a time, go forward and do my best work.”
“ I choose to be open to the possibility that I can absorb the information easily and effortlessly and make the best of each day.”
Repeat the reminder phrases below as you tap on the body’s acupressure points. Do the sequence twice.
“I choose to be open to the possibility that I can stay in the moment, be free of worry, clear my head and feel confident that I can view taking this exam as a challenge not a threat.”
“I choose to take this as an opportunity to show what I have learned, take one step at a time, go forward and do my best work.”
“I choose to be open to the possibility that I can absorb the information easily and effortlessly and make the best of each day.”
Take a deep breath and scale how you feel. By now you should be feeling calmer, more relaxed and optimistic, keen to get on with your studies.
Feeling overwhelmed is common, especially if you care and want to do well. Stress can flood our nervous system and bring down that mist. Tapping is an amazing way of clearing your head and releasing those nerves.
Have you ever felt overwhelmed in the build up to an exam? What have you tried that has helped? Leave a comment or if you would like a free consultation email me at sean@confidenceontap.com
If you’d like to buy or sample my new ebook which includes chapters on pre-test anxiety, the inner critic, and perfectionism click here: Freedom from Exam Stress