Running head: CASE STUDY ANALYSIS 1

Project 3: Case Study Analysis Final Submission

Kenia E. Alfaro

Health Education 044

Pasadena City College

CASE STUDY ANALYSIS 2

Project 3: Case Study Analysis Final Submission

It is very common, at any age and grade level, to get an anxiety attack over a test.

Although many have studied the material and has gone over everything, sometimes it seems like

it isn’t enough. Katya has to have a high GPA and good grade to maintain her scholarship for

college. However, Katya is one of the many people that gets anxiety over test they have prepared

Although Katya has prepared for her chemstry exam, she feels that it isn’t enough and has doubts

about doing well. In consequence of this self-doubt, she ends up having a panic attack two days

before the exam while studying. She couldn’t deal with the pressure of having to do an exam

while thinking of getting a good grade and while studying or doing the exam thinking that if she

doesn’t pass then she’ll lose her scholarship.

Katya is not alone on anxiety test, I can definitely relate to her situation. I have

experienced anxiety and nervousness when I need to study for an exam and while I am doing the

test. However, I have never gotten to the point of a panic attack. Since everyone is different,

they cope with stress differently. Although most of the students, including myself, dedicate a lot

of our time studying and reviewing before any test, we tend to question ourselves which then

cause us to be more stress. Learning how to control or manage your anxiety can make a huge

difference in how you will react to an upcoming test. At first, it was challenging for me to now

think about the negative outcomes of the test. For instance, I would think that am going to get a

bad grade in which then I would study harder or feel bad for a grade I haven’t gotten. Or I would

think that I didn’t study enough and would doubt myself during the test. So now I create a study

guide and ask myself questions about the chapter and study it in a more organized way. This has

helped me not overthink or overstress about where to start.

CASE STUDY ANALYSIS 3

It is normal for someone to feel anxious about a test however, in Katya’s situation she

needs to find ways that will help reduce anxiety every time she needs to do an exam. The article,

The write stuff for test anxiety b​ y Bruce Bower mentions that “writing about unspoken fears of

failure and related anxieties lets students reevaluate such concerns and keeps worries at bay

during a test”. One thing that Katya can do is writing down all of her worries and emotions, from

there she can go back and meditate on whether those emotions or worries are real or just anxiety

taking control of her. Jotting down my worries and feelings has helped me determine if those are

really what I am feeling or if am exaggerating. Doing so has helped me stay more focus and has

sometimes eliminated my anxiety completely.

Most of the time we tend to stress over situations that haven’t happened or we overthink

about what we are doing and creates more stress on your body and mind. Sometimes we might

not even be stressed or anxious but tired and hungry therefore we need to identify what it is that

is stressing you. The article, ​Stress Management: How to Reduce, Prevent, and Cope with Stress

by Lawrence Robinson suggests that in order to identify your “true sources of stress” one will

have to “look closely at your habits, attitude, and excuses”. Once Katya identifies and accepts

what her stress is she will be able to take control over it and be able to find ways that can help

her reduce or even eliminate anxiety before a test. The article mentions “The Four A’s” with

dealing with stress, which is:

1) Avoid unnecessary stress

2) Alter the situation: by expressing how you feel

3) Adapt to the stressor: by changing your viewpoint and how you feel.

4) Accepting the things you can’t change

CASE STUDY ANALYSIS 4

I think that Katya should first try to figure out exactly what triggers how her and why she

feels that certain way. Then she should make a plan of what to do when she gets anxious, she

could also ask others like the professor, family, and friends to help her stay calm. If that doesn’t

help then she should see a professional to see if it is something else that is causing her to get

overly anxious. Nowadays, a lot of professionals want to perscribe medicine to reduce those

symptoms but it won’t help her eliminate or find a real solution to her anxiety. When doing her

own research and investigating what it is that makes her anxious she will be able to tell her

family and friends in ways that they can help her. Some things that I can do to decrease anxiety

and learn optimism is by managing my time, being realistic and having specific goals for myself,

and learning new ways to have study habits.

CASE STUDY ANALYSIS 5

References

Bower, B. (2013, September 23). The write stuff for test anxiety. Retrieved from

https://search-proquest-com.ezp.pasadena.edu/healthcomplete/docview/852575610/abstrac

t/91312AD7BA274204PQ/1?accountid=28371

Stress Management: How to Reduce, Prevent, and Cope with Stress. (2019, March 27).

Retrieved from

https://www.brainline.org/article/stress-management-how-reduce-prevent-and-cope-stress