Math Anxiety

When you think of being frightened or having a phobia, a fear of heights or a fear of being closed in or claustrophobia are the first ones that come to mind.  Common fears such as a stage fright or a fear of public speaking are, also, notorious.  There is another fear that is just as common, if not more common than most fears, and that is math anxiety.  With math anxiety, even calculating your grades or the tip for a pizza delivery bill may feel like a tedious task.  Math anxiety is an intense emotional feeling of fear that a person has about their ability to understand and work with mathematics. (Texas State University)  This can be confused with test anxiety, which is a fear of taking a subject examination.  According to the WY Math Project, “Anxiety comes in two forms: Somatic and Cognitive.” (Western Wyoming Community College)  Those who are affected by math anxiety can suffer with one or more of these forms.

When I would deal with Math as a subject, especially when I was in high school and even in my college years, I found myself increasingly convinced that I could not pass through any math course.  No matter how much I would study or how much time I would put into the work, I would choke at test time.  This began for me as a young child in elementary school.  I was the type of student who excelled at English or Reading studies, but fell short when it came to Mathematics.  My teachers put me into resource to see if that would bolster my confidence.  When I was older, I would go to tutors to try and alleviate the issue.  I still dealt with the same stumbling blocks.  Making friends with Math, in my opinion, is the most challenging task in the world.  To me, learning mathematics, especially algebra, was like learning a second language.

Attempting to remedy the problem of math anxiety can be an obstacle-ridden process.  A student may feel helpless or hopeless just attempting to finish their homework assignments.  This can cause that student to refrain from doing the work altogether, because the task feels insurmountable.  When test time arrives, the feelings increase and can cause an intense feeling of panic.  A student may even freeze up at test time, making them unable to complete the examination.  This can result in the student handing in an unfinished test, because they couldn’t find the courage to complete the work or even forgot some of the mechanics due to stress.  The student can end up dropping the class or suffer with the effects on their GPA, which feels even worse.

Math anxiety can actually come from a lack of preparedness for homework or tests.  When they say, “…practice makes perfect…” it’s true.  Another cause of math anxiety comes from thoughts of being unintelligent, along with a fear of being obvious, especially if they are called on in class and have the wrong answer.  A feeling of ineptitude can lead to patterns of negative self-talk, panic, and can even lead to depression when you are unable to finish a problem or an equation.  The loss of confidence is the chief cause of math anxiety.  Learning to realize that you can ask for help and educate yourself from your mistakes, is a very important asset in overcoming your fear.

To begin to cope with the feelings of math anxiety, you have to believe in yourself first and foremost.  Staying assured that you can do the work and carrying a positive mental attitude is the first step of coping with the perils of math anxiety.  Another step is talking and asking questions about the math work to your instructors.  They are a resource that is provided to help you to work through the steps of your math problems.  It may feel embarrassing to ask for help, but another step is staying convinced that it’s not wrong to learn through inquiry.  Having your instructor explain the problems and equations can save you a trip to the tutor and make you feel better about the classroom environment.

 

If you look at the problems that are easiest first, whether it’s on a test or in your homework and classwork, then you can move your difficulty level up gradually.  This is a really beneficial step in removing some of the fear of the math problems.  Another step that can help you with math anxiety is keeping up with the classwork.  Staying current on the classwork and homework can keep the math concepts fresh in your mind and creates a solid foundation to work from when you study. (Woods)  This can also help when you move on to more complex math courses.  There can be different approaches to solving an equation or problem, which can help your execution of the work. (Texas State University)  Learning from making mistakes early on can help you during test time.  Practicing the math can help you avoid wrong answers when exams arrive.  According Dave Woods, Associate Professor of Mathematics at Austin County College, maintains that, “If you come into an exam with a feeling of preparedness you will be less likely to experience the physical effects of anxiety.” (Woods)

Sometimes you forget that you use math every day, but practicality never really enters the picture for those who suffer from math anxiety.  I still have to remind myself that it is not very complicated.  Though I have improved my math skills somewhat, I still find myself slipping backwards.  Trying to learn from those feelings and realize when you have those triggers gives you the chance to overcome them and relax about the work.  Math is not the most difficult subject in the world and I feel the need to take a deep breath.  If you just make an effort, you can see where you can improve on mistakes and excel without worries.

References:

"Math Anxiety." Counseling Center. Texas State University at San Marcos, 2011. Web. 10 Dec 2011. .

Woods, Dave, ed. "Coping with Math Anxiety." . Austin County College, 2011. Web. 10 Dec 2011. .

"What is Math Anxiety?." WY Math Project. Western Wyoming Community College, 2011. Web. 10 Dec 2011. .