As the end of the semester comes around, testing begins to overtake our minds with anxiety. And test anxiety is a real thing, because according to the National Education Association, 70 percent of teens say anxiety and depression are a “major problem” among their peers.

   Tests that Decatur students may be taking are MISA for science, HSA for government, as well as Math-MCAP for Algebra 1,2 and geometry. Those are the ones needed for graduation, but PSAT is in 10th grade and the SAT is in 11th grade.

   Test anxiety “it is a real thing and people tend to choke up on tests,” said Keith Hall, who works here at Decatur in the Guidance office. “And when we test day after day, it tends to make it worse. If we had mindfulness to fix our problem, we wouldn’t have it as big as it is.

   If it happens to you, Hall added, “test anxiety is like a snowball rolling down a mountain and we can’t stop it.”

     When asked what kinds of strategies does he recommend for students who have test anxiety, he replied that “we can try mindfulness exercises to bring us back to the present, or we can try to change our negative thinking into positive thinking.”

   Hall also said he doesn’t really see a lot of people with test anxiety, but people will go to him to talk to him when the test anxiety in a really bad place for them.

   “Tests are not fatal,” he added. “It might feel like it is, but it is not.”