Help for Interview Nerves and Exam Fever Part 2

In my last post I explained how self-limiting thoughts give rise to negative emotions, such as fear and self-doubt. These negative emotions lead on to associated bodily reactions, such as a racing heart beat, shaking hands, stammering, shrill voice, lack of concentration e.t.c. With the body reacting like this, it is then no wonder that the body’s functioning and the individual’s productivity are impaired. If this becomes a habit, or a vicious cycle, the individual goes on to think more failure, gets more impaired performance and this results in a loss of confidence and resignation to failure.

Let’s look into a hypothetical case. Vicky is terrified of any kind of assessment. She does well in any other circumstance but cannot get past writing her name on an exam paper, or saying her name at an interview. Working with her life coach, it was uncovered that Vicky has self-limiting beliefs to the effect that she is no good at anything, and never will be. Any time she attempts an exam or even thinks of an interview she is overcome by fear of failing yet again. She loses her voice, her hands tremble and her mind goes blank. To cut the narrative short, Vicky is now working with her coach on her personal belief system, as this is where her problems stem from.

Typical questions and exercises she will be working on with her coach are:

1. Can you tell me why you believe you are no good at anything?

2. What evidence do you have to support this claim?

3. Can you make a list of any achievements you are proud of, in your personal life or your work?

4. If you achieved all this (referring to question 3), is it true then, that you are no good at anything?

5. Again, if you achieved all this, do you think it is possible for you to do the same in other areas of your life? Would you be willing to try?
Vicki and her coach would also make a list of all her limiting beliefs and negative self-talk (things she tells herself). They would look at how this has been setting her up for failure. They would take the next step – getting rid of these limiting thoughts and beliefs.

One way would be to write out the exact opposites of Vicky’s beliefs , e.g. where she had written “I am no good at anything,” she would replace it with “I am good at whatever I try.” This might seem like lying to yourself, but it is actually reprogramming yourself to follow a more wholesome suggestion than what you’d been following before.

Over time, and with professional support Vicki is replacing her limiting beliefs and negative self-talk with empowering alternatives. She is also setting goals to try new things, working a day at a time towards them, rejoicing over her successes and learning from her failures. She is gradually gathering “evidence” to show that she really can be good at the things she tries. Her next coaching assignment is to prepare a 10 minute speech and deliver it to a group of friends. She has practiced hard and this has increased her confidence. Although a little nervous, Vicky remembers all the new things she has tried in the last few months. She is encouraged to take on this exercise and believes she’ll make a good shot at it! At last, some confidence!

Do you have self-limiting beliefs about your abilities? Do you engage in negative self-talk? Why not try some of the exercises that Vicky did with her coach? You can remove the root cause of the fear of failure and start to win again!

Copyright ©2009 Oma Edoja

Help for Interview Nerves and Exam Fever

If you ever suffer interview nerves or exam fever you know just how debilitating it can be. We all feel a bit of nerves before an important event. This is only a normal apprehension towards the unknown. However, if mild apprehension becomes a crippling phobia then it is time for some help. Following is an exercise to help you understand these fears and bodily responses:

(1) Think back to a time when you faced an exam or interview and had an attack of nerves. Try to recall your thoughts, feelings, words and surroundings as vividly as you can.

(2) Under the following headings write out a description of the scenario: My thoughts, My words, My feelings.
For instance, under My thoughts you might have: I’ll never make it; I never do. I am rubbish and now everyone is going to find out.
For My feelings you might have: terrified, lacking confidence, unsure, nauseous, swimming head, racing heart.

(3) Our thoughts give rise to our feelings. Our feelings trigger off our body's stress response, such as adrenaline-release for “fight-or-flight.” This hormonal activity then leads to physical reactions such as increased heart-beat, racing pulse, nausea, diarrhea, migraine etc. It could even lead to impairment of our body’s functions, such as unsteady hands, now shaking through fear, stammering,loss of memory, a trembling voice, impaired vision, poor concentration and even blacking out.

Now take a look at what you wrote under My thoughts, My words and My feelings. Do you notice any correlation?

I would like to point out that the root cause of the incapacitation we may feel at exams and interviews is most likely the thoughts we think about these situations. Our thoughts of inadequacy cause us to feel fear. Fear sets off the release of stress chemicals such as adrenaline. These trigger off a racing heart beat, shaking hands, cold sweat, nausea etc. As a result of these reactions we are unable to perform at our best in exams and interviews. Which only goes to “confirm” to your mind that you are crap and won’t pass/get the job. Notice the cycle:

Thoughts of failure and inadequacy→ Feelings of fear→ Bodily reactions →Impairment and poor performance →More thoughts of fear, failure and inadequacy.

On this blog I have explained previously how such thoughts and beliefs (limiting beliefs) affect our progress, and how to deal with them. If you have trouble with exam or interview nerves, or think very little of your ability to pass such tests I would advise that you visit the article archive on this blog (below, right pane) to access the following articles:

What's Holding You Back (04/2009) and

Removing and Replacing Limiting Beliefs (04/2009)


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Theses article are solely for educational purposes and do not seek to diagnose or treat fears and phobias. If you are affected by any of the issues highlighted in these articles and would like to discuss your situation with me please email me at turnaroundresources@gmail.com

I would be glad to listen to your concerns, and should you so desire, work with you on a coaching plan to remove your limiting beliefs and help you learn new, empowering behaviours.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------