There are many approaches to help you reach a state of calm control. The following is one of many, and is based on Heart Math’s Quick Coherence Technique. It is an easy, but powerful technique to help bring students back to center, feel more relaxed and in control, and even empowered to remember a time when they were focused. These methods can then be applied when focusing on testing situations, and you can do it yourself to help gain center. Go through each of the following steps, modeling the behavior, and speaking through each one of them.
Step 1
Heart Focus. Focus your attention on the area around your heart, the area in the center of your chest. If you prefer, the first couple of times you try it, place your hand over the center of your chest and your other hand on the belly for grounding and a kind of heart-body connection, and to help focus attention in the heart area.
Step 2
Heart Breathing. Breathe deeply but normally. You may feel as if your breath is coming in and going out through your heart area. Imagine it is. As you inhale, feel as if your breath is flowing in through the heart, and as you exhale, feel it leaving through this area. Breathe slowly and casually, a little deeper than normal. Continue breathing with ease until you find a natural inner rhythm that feels good to you. You may feel a shift here.
Step 3
Heart Feeling. As you maintain your heart focus and heart breathing, activate a positive feeling. Recall a positive feeling, a time when you felt good inside, and take a moment to re-experience the feeling. One of the easiest ways to generate a positive, heart-based feeling is to remember a special place you’ve been to or the love you feel for a close friend or family member or treasured pet. It can be anything. This is the most important step.
Repeat as needed.
This is just one of many solutions you can use to get into the best mindset Once you isolate the ‘symptoms’ of anxiety, you can find a solution. You can speak to a counselor, friends or a psychologist to come up with additional solutions. You can also contact us for personalized MCAT stress management solutions. You can also listen our Full Potential Audio sampler, which can help to relax and focus you for the test. And you can even make sure you’re working with a tutor and getting the content and strategy down. While the MCAT is standardized, everyone is unique, and finding a way to combat your anxiety and other self limiting thoughts will be, too.
