Math Anxiety

WHAT IS MATH ANXIETY?  Math anxiety is a learned emotional response to one or more of the following:

1. participating in a math class
2. listening to a lecture
3. working through problems
4. discussing mathematics

WHERE DOES MATH ANXIETY COME FROM?

Math anxiety usually comes from negative experiences in working with teachers, tutors, classmates, parents or siblings. Other times the anxiety comes from stress or a personal problem that was going on at the same time s/he was learning a particular concept. In this case, s/he associates math with whatever was going on at that time.

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF MATH ANXIETY?

1. PANIC - Students have a feeling of helplessness. They feel that a brick wall has come down and they will never do better and have reached their limit in math.
2. PARANOIA - Students have a feeling that everyone knows the answer except them. They feel they have been faking math for years and everyone knows it.
3. PASSIVE - They have an attitude that either they have a math mind or they don't.  There is nothing they can do to become better in math. They sit back and don't take action.
4. LACK OF CONFIDENCE - They don't trust their intuition. They rely on memorizing rules instead of understanding the concepts.

TIPS FOR OVERCOMING MATH ANXIETY

1. Realize that you are not alone! Many people dislike or feel anxious about math.
2. Admit it! Once you recognize that you have math anxiety you can start to correct it.
3. Become aware of where your math anxiety originated from. Think back to where you first had difficulty with math.
4. Recognize your self-defeating talk and correct it to a more positive talk.
5. Try to avoid teachers/tutors/peer/family who aren't helpful or supportive.
6. Trust your instincts and don't put down your approaches to a math problem. Do math in a way that you are comfortable with. Remember there is more than one way to do a math problem.
7. Ask questions. This is the way towards better understanding. Besides, other students will be glad you asked.
8. Know the basics. In most cases you need to know math from previous courses. If you don't remember, go back and review.
9. Don't go by memory alone. Try to understand the concept. If you are anxious, your memory is the first thing to go.
10. Don't put math off until the last minute. In fact, it's better if you do a little math every day.
11. Decide what type of study environment works best for you (quiet place at a table, or music in the background in a comfortable chair, etc.).
12. Take breaks. Don't work for hours on end. It's a good to take a break every 50 minutes or so.
13. Get help. If you are having difficulty figuring out a concept, seek assistance from your teacher/tutor/peer.
14. Don't pressure yourself. Take pride in the strides you do make. Math anxiety is not cured in a day. It's a slow process.

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