STRESS MANAGEMENT TIPS
FROM CREATE YOUR OWN
TOOLBOX TO MANAGE
ACADEMIC ANXIETY
WORKSHOP BY MCGILL OFFICE FOR STUDENTS
WITH DISABILITIES
SIGNS OF ANXIETY
Physiological
Cognitive
•Increased heart rate
•Sweating and dry mouth
•Headaches
•Nausea and dizziness
•Negative self-talk
•Restlessness
•Inability to concentrate
•Difficulty making decisions
Emotional
Behavioural
•Mood swings
•Fear
•Anger
•Worry
•Anxiety
•Tenseness
•Loss of focus
•Less coordinated movements
•Fidgeting, nail biting
•Increased smoking, drinking,
binge eating
Social
•Social withdrawal
•Avoidance of friends and family
•Unusual irritability
•Procrastination
Identify your signs of anxiety!
NEGATIVE SELF-TALK

The way you talk to yourself about a situation
greatly affects the way you feel and cope with it.

Positive self-statements  improve studying, test
preparation & work on assignments.

During tests, positive self-talk build confidence
& decrease your test anxiety.
SELF-TALK EXAMPLE
Situation
• Walk into room
where anxietyprovoking event
is to take place
(ie. exam room)
Negative SelfTalk
• “Calm down
and stop
shaking! This is
crazy. Stop it!
What is wrong
with you?”
Positive Self-Talk
• “Okay, so my
hands are
shaking. I’m
tense so I need
to relax for a
moment. Take a
deep breath and
calm down.This
won’t kill me;
I’ll do the best
that I can.”
RELAXATION EXERCISES
Muscle Relaxation
1.
Clench your muscles in one specific body part (fists,
shoulders, arms, lower back, legs, chest, fingers,
face)
2.
Concentrate on the tension
3.
Breath slowly while releasing your muscle
4.
Pay attention to the sensations that you feel while
releasing the muscle and relaxing
5.
Repeat for a different body part
RELAXATION EXERCISES
Deep Breathing
1.
Count to three as you inhale slowly through your
nose
2.
Fill your stomach up with the air
3.
Count to three as you hold your breath
4.
Count to six as you exhale through your mouth
RELAXATION EXERCISES
Visualizations
1.
Sit in a comfortable position, and choose a place or
scenario that you are feeling anxious about (ie. writing an
exam, doing an oral presentation, etc.)/calming scenario
2.
Close your eyes, and construct a mental image of this
specific scene
3.
Move through the scene so that you can experience all of
the sounds and smells that accompany it
4.
Visualize yourself being successful and happy about what
you are doing
5.
When you are feeling more relaxed, open your eyes
TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT STRESS
MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES:
For more information,
sign up for this workshop at
http://www.mcgill.ca/osd/
References
Diaz del Castillo, P. & Pantel, S. (2012). Play Hard Work Hard. [Powerpoint
Presentation].
Diaz del Castillo, P. & Saxe, A. (2013). Testing Made Easy. [Powerpoint Presentation].
Wong, L. (2012). Essential study skills. (7th ed.). Boston, MA: Wadsworth, Cengage
Learning.