As students in an academically competitive environment like Lexington High School, we all know how frustratingly easy it is to get caught up in the results of a test or quiz. So much so that when we study, the only goal is to get an A+, causing us to overlook the importance of the process. At times that mindset could work, but thinking about the process is more beneficial to mental health and academic performance.
The first time I heard of this thought process was with my skating team. Kelsey, our sports therapist (who knew those existed?) came in one day with a big whiteboard and asked, “What is your goal for this season?” Some of us answered with the simple word, “winning.” However, when she questioned how we would achieve that goal, everybody went quiet. Everybody was hyper-fixated on the medals at the finish line, but not the path there.
That deafening silence was a brutally honest slap to the face. It became a realization that our mindset was wrong. Ever since then, I have started to reconstruct my thought process into focusing on the process of achieving a goal by subdividing, and creating lists of small things I can do to reach my goal instead of keeping all of my attention on one big, difficult to break down achievement.
The first time I employed this strategy was during my ninth-grade Honors Math class. I had horrible test anxiety that would cause me to make small mistakes. Rushing through the problems became my way of managing my adrenaline, and it did not do me any good. Those small mistakes that restricted me from my goal turned into a barricade of emotional and mental stresses that would persistently keep me from performing at the level I wanted to. By fixating on the letter grade, I got lost in the studying process. I had a starting point, but after that, I ran in circles trying to figure out what I had to do.
Despite my rage, I sat down one day and made a list of topics I wanted to master. Working through each, one at a time, made it a lot easier to organize my thinking and internalize the material I needed to learn. The results showed the following day. I even surprised myself when I took the test in a completely relaxed state, working through each problem one step at a time without worrying about what was coming next. That was my first nine in that class, and since then I have been able to consistently employ this thinking into my daily life.
Whether it be winning a competition, or scoring well on a test, the way we approach these goals is the only thing that we can control. By focusing on a specific methodology, we are able to overcome stress factors, manage large amounts of information by breaking them down, and work through problems to obtain our goals in a healthy, organized manner.
As students in LHS, tests are a common daily occurrence, and getting lost in studying can be a byproduct. Employing this new mindset into your daily routines may be beneficial in the long run!