Surely your child often felt before the contest how the whole body reacts to emotions that comes over it. It’s good to ensure it that is absolutely normal to have emotions in such situations and that is not the only one going through this. The other childrens presence participating in the same race as your child may increase childs stress , he easily taking over the emotions of others.
What can your child do to not get influenced by other participants stress?
Can you help him in the first stage talking about what stress means and how it manifested so that you can easily identify it.
Stress refers to a tension that a person feels when the entire body is in a situation that is not very comfortable. Stress manifests itself in several types of reactions.
Physical reactions in the body:
– muscle tension
– indigestion
– sleeping problems
– heartbeat getting stronger
– chest pain
– sensation of dry mouth
Psychological reactions:
– the feeling of being under pressure
– sense of tension and inability to relax
– feeling of being forgotten everything
– nervousness and irritability
– inability to concentrate when you perform a certain task
What can he do that to doesn’t get influenced by the stress of those around him?
1. Tell him to accept the changes that occur throughout the entire body when feeling stressed. A first step to overcome emotions is to accept them as part of himself. Explain that to feel fear and apprehension, uncertainty regarding the results he will get is normal.
2. Teach him to use the breathing technique in 4 times. This means to inspire air for four seconds, to keep it in the chest as same seconds, after that to expires in 4 times. Even if at first will seem hard enough, after a little practice it will be better and feel more relaxed. Teach him not to necessarily focus on respect the time, but to form in this way an automatic breathing. Will help him in other situations.
3. Tell him to direct his attention to something else when he feel that stress and negative emotions begin to embrace him. One solution would be to talk to another person about something that is not related to the test situation or make other activity that is not related to the exam is about to start.
4. If feels like the whole atmosphere before testing is overwhelming (colleagues began to complain because they feel emotions), he should move away from the group. He can head to the window and breathe fresh air, can watch pictures or illustrations of the room, can think of a nice memory or simply can practice the breathing technique exposed above.
5. It is beneficial to seek a colleague or an acquaintance who could talk about other topics than the exam or contest is about to participate. Many children in the test situation feel the stress of others and are affected by it, so it probably will be easier to find someone who wants as much as he to get away from the oppressive atmosphere.
6. Teach him to avoid discussions about topics that may be given or attempt to verify if he remembers what he learned. These things do nothing but to increase the stress and anxiety, which then may affect his performance.
7. Once the contest has started, it is good to focus on his sheet and the topics. Tell him to avoid checking if other colleagues have already begun to write, if they are ahead or if they have written in a topic more than him. If time allows, it is good to use drafts to note the main points that he will touch.
How is your child reacting before competition or exam when the emotions of others are in highest level? He manages to break away from the others and keep his cool?