panic attack for November exam 2021 any advice on how to avoid it for January 2022

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• 4 Likes

  a_pmorenoc Member

  November 2021 633 karma

  I struggle with anxiety disorder and what helped me was starting daily meditation before the exam date to relax my body and mind, and to be able to focus, being confident in my abilities (I used to think it was silly until I decided to try it and it was life changing). I also practice breathing techniques where I close my eyes and take a couple deep breaths to just be in the moment and deep breaths really help reduce my racing heart and negative thoughts. Another thing I did was write down one by one the things I wanted to accomplish on the test and reaffirm myself through writing notes that I knew the material and that I put in the work, so the only reason why I was so anxious was because this was important to me but because it’s important I owe it to myself to have faith in myself. Lastly, I spent the 2 days before the test being around my friends and family so that I could distract myself from the test anxiety and have the support system I needed just in case I did start to feel anxious. I know how debilitating anxiety can be so feel free to PM if you need some more advice! These tips really helped me and my anxiety on test day was basically nonexistent. Best of luck
• 2 Likes

  katie.mac8 Member

  November 2021 63 karma

  Hi, I also struggle with anxiety disorder and had a panic attack the first time that I took the LSAT. I ended up cancelling the score (a 162) as a result. I'm happy to PM with you (or anyone else reading this) about my journey from that score to the 169 that I'm applying with. The only difference between those two tests was where my mental health was at, and had nothing to do with prep changes. The TLDR was starting SSRIs + therapy and committing to a meditation practice/ regular exercise/ journaling.
• 1 Like

  Ashley2018-1 Alum Member

  November 2021 edited November 2021 2249 karma

  lol everybody here being all healthy with the meditation and exercise and here I was thinking of taking sleeping pills the night before to calm myself down.

  I don’t have a diagnosable anxiety condition: I’m just a nervous wreck.
• 1 Like

  a_pmorenoc Member

  November 2021 633 karma

  @Ashley2018 said:
  lol everybody here being all healthy with the meditation and exercise and here I was thinking of taking sleeping pills the night before to calm myself down.

  I mean I did try this the first time around and my anxiety was so bad even the melatonin only lasted about 4-5 hours before I woke up anxious lol
• 1 Like

  GoatAdvocate_0L_SLS Member

  November 2021 269 karma

  Hey! I was in the same boat as you. I have a diagnosed anxiety disorder and take medication to control it, but symptoms arise nevertheless! I find that while it is helpful to discuss how to mitigate anxiety, it is more important to PLAN for anxiety. After all, if we could turn it off/on at will, it wouldn't be a problem.

  For all things mental health, I recommend talking to a professional. Even if the panic attack was an isolated incident, it still may be helpful to explore this with a doctor considering this is how your brain responded to stressful stimuli.

  Lastly, regarding the LSAT, because I had a full-blown panic attack during my June exam, I requested "stop-start" breaks for the August Exam as a fail-safe. I didn't end up using my accommodation, though I felt significantly less stressed knowing that the safety net existed. You may consider the same.

  Take control. You got this.
• 1 Like

  GenTheJudge Core Member

  November 2021 60 karma

  Not sure if this applies to your situation, but for me I noticed my panic attack last test in 2020 had the factors of feeling underprepared and extreme amounts of other life stressors. This test I went in knowing I had not given my 100% to prep, but my 100% effort to prepping given other life time constraints. I also got into a more common habit of my own form of meditation (literally pretending my body is a computer that just needs to stay immobile in silence each morning/when I feel "overheated" and anxiety is raising). Something clicked this November: I did what I could, gave myself pep talks when the anxiety/panic tried to sneak up, and managed to get through it without a melt down. Find something that helps you. If your gut is telling you "try taking a walk" or "watch a tv show" try following it, seeing if that helps, and developing a less stressed average day. Hope the next exam goes better for you (: Don't give up.
• 3 Likes

  gabes900-1 Member

  November 2021 855 karma

  It may be different for people, but, for me, what calmed my anxiety is to breathe, remind yourself that you are not the test, and treating the test like a lifestyle/video game.

  The moment I shifted my attitude about the test from “This is the biggest deal on my application” to “this test is interesting and fun, I wanna get better at it,” I’ve seen amazing improvements in terms of anxiety and performance. I come from a gaming background—video games, board games, and sports. This test is just one big, hard, challenging game. But, I really want to beat it, or, at least, best it the best I can with all my heart. This attitude has allowed me to stay calm and take tests as drills and information about where I am, instead of my worth with the test.

  Another tip I have for reducing anxiety is exercise almost every week day, or at least when you are studying. This decreases my anxiety a lot and gives me more, better sleep in my life.
• Barbie Blonde Member

  November 2021 152 karma

  Thank you so much to all for reaching out to me I will practice positive affirmations, breathing techniques and shifting my mind to this is a fun test and I am also improving my IQ by doing this. It's so nice to know that other people go through the same thing as me . I'm here for anyone else that struggles or feel like they need a friend
• hotranchsauce Member

  November 2021 288 karma

  Great suggestions here. If I could add anything that has not been brought up, I'd suggest to look into getting a diagnosis from a DR and then applying for accommodations if you have not done so already. I understand that may be anxiety inducing in itself, but there's a good chance in my opinion that the DR will take you at your word if you're honest with them, even on the first visit. There's numerous accommodations available, not just time extensions, that could really help you show your true potential on the test if you were to be granted those accommodations.
• galactic Yearly Member

  November 2021 690 karma

  @"Barbie Blonde" I use Headspace and it has worked wonders.
• tapny1 Alum Member

  November 2021 181 karma

  On the last 7 Sage podcast, the guest speaker made a really great point about calming your anxiety by switching your focus to “did I follow my steps? “and away from “am I getting this right? “