Fear of failure

Fear of failure and anxiety can occur when there is pressure to perform, previous negative experiences, learning and retaining new information, exam stress. With the lead up to end of year exams for many students this can levels of anxiety can also increase dramatically. Recognising signs of anxiety such as difficulty with sleep, lack of motivation and concentration, changes in appetite, withdrawal from friends or activities, as well as physical symptoms such as headaches, stomach aches or panic attacks, is important - because the good news is that there are ways to help manage it.

Some strategies that can help:

• Practice relaxation techniques and meditation. Especially when we are often caught up with ‘doing’, it’s easy to forget to practise being in the moment (even if it’s just for 10 minutes). Calm.com have some great free meditation exercises.

• Reframing your mindset: Focusing on growth instead of perfection and being kind to yourself.

• Goal setting, planning and preparation: setting realistic goals and breaking tasks into smaller parts.

• Talking to a counsellor or psychologist: working together to help you unpack and understand where these thoughts, feelings and behaviours come from and developing strategies to better manage them.

• Staying active: If you’re not a fan of the gym, a short walk around the block or local nature reserve could help shift those overwhelming feelings and increase serotonin.