6 Breathing Exercises For Test Taking

By Madison White on June 25, 2016

Taking a test can be nothing short of intimidating, and for some, downright terrifying. Test anxiety continues to be a problem for many students around the world today. So what are you to do besides sit in anxiety before the teacher hands out the test?

Well, instead of dwelling on your nerves and all the times you should’ve been studying, breathing and trying to keep your mind calm can help you be in your best state to take the test. There are many ways to combat test anxiety with some very simple exercises. Here are six breathing exercises to try before taking a test.

1. Focus on your breathing

The first step to decrease your anxiety and stress is to simply focus on your breathing. Focusing on your breathing takes away the thoughts and worry by replacing it with something simple and mindful. Become aware of how much air you’re taking in and letting out. Begin to be conscious of how your body is feeling and reacting to its environment. You may find that just becoming aware of your breath for a bit can calm you down before a test. You may realize that you need to inhale or exhale more air. Essentially, focusing on your breathing is the first step to the other possible relaxation techniques.

2. The 4-7-8

Many doctors will suggest the 4-7-8 technique to provide optimal breathing and calmness. The 4-7-8 technique means inhaling for four seconds, holding your breath for seven seconds, and exhaling for eight seconds. These strict requirements demand that your focus be on your breathing and nothing else. If your mind begins to wander, the effect will be lost. However, when you want something else to occupy your mind, this technique can be perfect.

Articles suggest that this breathing technique is a natural tranquilizer and your nervous system will respond by calming. It also adds that you may feel light-headed at first, but that it will soon pass.

3. Imagine a balloon

If numbers aren’t really your thing, try imagining something else. Imagine a balloon that inflates and deflates as you inhale and exhale. The more breath you take in, the larger the balloon gets. You can imagine this balloon as being inside your chest or just floating out in front of you. Just like all the other techniques, this one also serves as a distraction and focus to your breath. The often pleasant memories associated with balloons can also serve as a relaxing thought in addition to your breathing.

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4. Muscle relaxation

Muscle tension is something that often happens when you’re very tense. When trying to relieve that tension, focus on your muscles and relaxing them. An easy way to do this is by coordinating your muscle tension with your breathing. Take a long inhale and tense up all your muscles, then hold your breath and muscle tension before relaxing everything as you exhale. Doing this will help you realize what was already tense and also help you learn to combat such tension with your breathing and awareness.

5. Breath counting

Perhaps another of the simplest exercises is to count your breath. Each exhale counts as one breath. However, the most important part of this is to make sure that when you count, you don’t go over five. This is to keep your brain occupied. If you lose count or go past five, you know that your mind has drifted from your breathing. You want to make sure that your mind doesn’t return to your anxiety but remains constant and on your breathing.

6. Belly breathing

Sometimes when you’re anxious, you aren’t aware that your breathing has become shallow and unhelpful. A trick to developing fuller and better breaths is to place a hand on your stomach while you breathe. When you breathe this way, let your stomach push out as you inhale air. Try and take in as much air as comfortably possible. Don’t forget to exhale all of that air and feel your stomach deflate as well. This technique helps exercise your deep breathing skills and will keep your mind calm and focused.

It may take some trial and error to determine which of these exercises works best for you. It may be wise to try different ones out at home the night before and then utilize the one you feel is most effective. When test taking, the most essential thing to do is clear the worries that will block your brain from remembering what it already knows. If you can keep your mind as a blank slate, only focused on the question in front of you, the answers will rise more easily to the surface.

These are just some breathing techniques, but many other ones can be found all over the internet. Regardless of tests, there are tons of other situations where controlling your breathing can be beneficial too. If you find this very helpful in curbing your stress and anxiety, it may be worth it to look into other techniques like meditation and yoga.

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