Conquering Math Anxiety Is Possible

While some students experience an occasional problem understanding the intricacies of mathematics, others have rather intense performance issues related to this subject. Even if they know how to work problems, arrive at the right answers and understand all the formulas and equations, these students tend to freeze on tests related to the subject. Math anxiety is not at all uncommon, and there is some good news. As long as math anxiety isn’t caused by a more serious, underlying condition, such as a true anxiety disorder, overcoming it is possible.

Unlike many other subjects where there are a variety of “correct” answers, math tends to be rather cut and dried. There isn’t a whole lot of gray areas in this particular subject. The precision involved in it tends to give rise to math anxiety even in the most adept of students. If math anxiety is an issue, there are things students and their parents can do to help.

Some educational experts suggest students with math anxiety do the following things to help themselves overcome fears of tests:

• Seek out help early. If a particular chapter or requirement is not making sense, students can avoid math anxiety by seeking out tutoring help early. Asking for extra help often provides just the right boost to overcome anxiety, gain confidence and perform well on tests.
• Avoid cramming. Math anxiety is often only compounded by cramming for exams. Instead of cramming, students are advised to break up their study sessions into small chunks. It is also wise to address problem spots as quickly as possible to lessen math anxiety.
• Take practice exams. This can help identify problem areas prior to a test and even help boost self-esteem. This is a great way to avoid math anxiety by showing a student that he or she can, in fact, get the answers right. Practice exams can also be quite beneficial in reinforcing formulas that might be needed for a test.
• Meditate. Deep breathing, self-affirmations and all out meditation prior to tests can help students overcome math anxiety by giving them the focus they need to excel. These methods can take a little time and practice to master, but many students find these techniques very useful.

Math anxiety is a concern for many students. A fear of failure on important tests is not at all abnormal. If math anxiety overcomes a person, persists or presents with physical symptoms, a more serious anxiety condition might be present. Seeking professional help in this case might provide the necessary relief for a student to achieve success.

Treatments for Depression

There are many treatments for depression and usually more than one is used at a time. The most common treatments today include the following.

• Cognitive therapy
• Group therapy
• Medication
• Behavioral therapy
• Interpersonal therapy

Most of the treatments for depression include keeping a journal as a first step and even an activity log when the depression is severe enough to prevent you from completing critical activities. A log can be an important tool for both you and/or your therapist in order to identify the triggers of depression. It can also be a good way to get your life back on track.

One of the benefits of using journals and logs in the treatments for depression is that it forces you to undertake an activity to improve your life. This can be very important when depression has interfered with your ability to think or function normally. For example, if you keep a log of what you’re feeling and of your thoughts, it becomes easier to identify the negative thinking that spirals out of control. A journal can reveal things such as feelings of failure or anxiety. With the identification of the thoughts, a therapist can then help you seek the cause of the lack of self esteem.

An activity log is a useful log during any of the treatments for depression for keeping track of what must be done in your life to keep it on track. People with depression often decide they don’t care anymore about any one or any thing. Unfortunately, this can have dire consequences if you don’t pay bills or deposit money in your bank account. Some people with depression don’t just neglect themselves either. They neglect important tasks such as picking up the kids at school. The can even decide eating is too much trouble. That’s why some people with depression can have sudden and severe weight loss.

When people get depressed, the mind focuses on dark and deep thoughts that are usually self-critical. If you tell yourself you’re unable to do anything right, the next logical thought is: why try? That is how depression works. It gets deeper and deeper if left untreated. Except for medication, the treatments for depression assist people with changing their thought patterns so they see themselves as capable and positive.

It’s hard for someone who’s never had depression to understand how deep the mental hole can get. When you keep a journal and activity log, you can learn to set simple goals that are easy to meet. The slow decline into the black hole is reversed so you can begin the upward climb to the light. It’s done one step at a time. There’s no instant cure for depression. Even medication takes time to work.

Signs of Depression

There are so many different signs of depression which means it sometimes continues until the indications form a pattern. But the sooner you recognize depression in yourself or someone else, the sooner you can get treatment. Depression needs to be treated whether it’s mild or severe or anything in between the extremes. Depression doesn’t disappear on its own and will only get worse.

There are some basic and common signs of depression. They include the following.

• No feelings of self worth or low self esteem
• Doesn’t like to be around other people which can include family
• Doesn’t anticipate doing anything including enjoyable events
• Lack of concentration
• Feelings of hopelessness
• Feeling sad all the time
• Suicidal thoughts
• Inability to make any decisions

A person can have one or more of these signs of depression. It’s natural to feel sad for a few days or to have stressful days. It’s normal to have some days when life may seem a little harder than you think it should be. Depression is something entirely different. It’s not natural to feel you are worthless or that people in your life wouldn’t miss you if you were to disappear. It’s not normal to be sad for longer than two weeks while continuing to experience constant fatigue and lack of interest in anything around you.

The signs of depression can be very noticeable in many cases. Someone who is depressed may cry a lot for no apparent reason. In severe cases, a person may refuse to get out of bed. In milder cases, the person might be unable to make the simplest decision or constantly feels guilty about something. People with depression can have trouble functioning at work or at home.

Other signs of depression may not be severe and are harder to identify. For example, you can experience depression triggered by an event such as a death in the family or loss of a job. It can be a real shock and not everyone is able to adjust well. You might still appear to function normally but the signs of depression are there. You might cry at the most unexpected times or begin a spiral into despondency that makes you unable to function eventually.

On the other hand, bipolar disorder has very obvious symptoms. While in a euphoric state, bizarre behavior such as making obviously foolish and harmful decision becomes apparent. While in a depressed state, the person feels hopeless and all the frenetic activity stops. This happens over and over again and can even happen within a day.

The key to identifying if someone is depressed is to watch for patterns or continual worsening of suspect symptoms. If this goes on for longer than 2 weeks, you should get professional help for you or your friend or family member.