Butterflies, Butterflies, GO AWAY!
Patricia asked me and Lana before our first meet as the Beans if we were 'Calm, cool, collected, relaxed and ready' and just like in any other meet, my answer was NO!! I, personally, have HUGE nerve issue and actually started chewing on my knuckle a while back. Once, my knuckle was actually BLEEDING! So, to avoid certain fate involving your knuckles, here are some tips to get rid of (or avoid) those butterflies.
PLEASE READ
None of the tips provided here are replacements for treatment for severe anxiety disorders, nor is whether or not the advice works for you diagnostic of an anxiety disorder. However, if you are experiencing extreme anxiety that cannot be subdued, or unexplainable anxiety that continues even when you're not quizzing, if it is interfering with your life or if you have to sit out quizzes because it gets that bad, you may want to consider talking to your doctor about the possibility of an anxiety disorder or a general issue with anxiety. They won't judge you, and will be impressed that you brought the issue up on your own and give you the help you need. If you need advice or support in getting help, I strongly recommend that you call Kids Help Phone at 1(800)668-6868, or send them a message at www.kidshelpphone.com. They are professionals and will help you in any way that they can.
PLEASE READ
None of the tips provided here are replacements for treatment for severe anxiety disorders, nor is whether or not the advice works for you diagnostic of an anxiety disorder. However, if you are experiencing extreme anxiety that cannot be subdued, or unexplainable anxiety that continues even when you're not quizzing, if it is interfering with your life or if you have to sit out quizzes because it gets that bad, you may want to consider talking to your doctor about the possibility of an anxiety disorder or a general issue with anxiety. They won't judge you, and will be impressed that you brought the issue up on your own and give you the help you need. If you need advice or support in getting help, I strongly recommend that you call Kids Help Phone at 1(800)668-6868, or send them a message at www.kidshelpphone.com. They are professionals and will help you in any way that they can.
Music
Listen to music. It doesn't even have to be classical or calming or relaxing. Just listen to your favorite songs, your favorite bands, your favorite styles. If you listen to something you don't like, you'll just be bored and sick of it by quizzing time. I have pump-up and calm-down playlists on my iPod, so when I'm feeling a bit down, I turn on my pump-up list, and if I'm WAY too happy, I listen to my calm-down list. Just a suggestion, though, you don't have to make playlists if you don't want to, especially if it'll only stess you out more.
Stay Focused
I know this seems like something that would make some people nervous, but if you don't keep your head in the game, meet time is going to come pretty fast and you're going to be even more nervous. Try visualising the set up of the meet. Picture yourself answering the questions right. It sounds creepy, but it does work. During quizzes, you want to do good, and if you want it bad enough, nothing else will get in the way. Not even the fact that your brother is jeering and your crush is on another team (or maybe right beside you... if only you could just reach over and tap them, then pretend it was... NO FOCUS!!!), see what I did just there? I re-focussed.
Pray
Most quiz teams pray before every quiz, and it really does help. When you pray, you know God is there, and that thought in itself is calming. Also, when teams pray, you know that the quiz is going to go how He wants it to go. So you have nothing to be worried about.
Use a fidget toy
I have a favorite purple stress ball to keep me from chewing on my knuckle, but I know some people use fidget rings, bracelets and other random stuff to keep their hands busy. Thumb-feet are actually amazing (these foot-shaped piecs of plastic that you can put on your thumbs to fiddle around with). Another recommendation are didget fidgets. They're hard to explain, they're just rings that you can fidget with. They're cheap, and you can get them at Education Station. Fidgets are best for when you're just really excited and need to calm down or focus on a question. Stress balls, or things you can use as such, are everywhere... drug stores, book stores, dollar stores, Education Station... I've used erasers, lip gloss, foam baby toys from the church nursery... a lot of stuff works for a stress ball. These work best when you're more nervous (or terriffied) than giddy. I actually don't know why the hands have to be doing something, but it really helps.
Know people in the crowd
Invite friends and family to your quiz meets, and try to make sure they are there for the whole meet. If you haven't read my blog from the beginning, watching my mom and grandma leave Nakamun at my Rookie year Finals kind of jinxed me. Having somebody you know there cheering for you really helps. That way when you aren't having a good quiz, you know they still have your back and when you are having a great quiz, they were there to see it!
Keep a smile on your face
Being depressed doesn't help your quizzing. Big surprise, hey? Even if you really aren't happy, fake a smile and in no time it will probably be real. Make sure you are encouraging to your teammates so they don't feel like they are letting the team down. Personal suggestion: Don't tell them that they did amazing when they really didn't. Some people get really emotional when they know they didn't do good and their friends will never tell them when they stunk, so they never know when they really did do good. Just tell them that they could've done a bit better but they still rock and leave it at that. Or better yet, don't bring it up in the first place! 'Good jump' after an error, or 'nice try' if they didn't have a good jump, is totally fine. Leave it alone.
If you want to study, study!
Studying between quizzes calms my nerves a little bit at meets, because I am more confident that I know what I am doing. But some people might not want to study between quizzes because it gets them a bit too psyched or makes them even more nervous, and thats the last thing you need. So only study between quizzes if you want to study!
5 Positive Statements
Sometimes criticism is good for your quizzing, but you can't always be thinking about what you didn't do 'good enough' to try to put it into words. At quiz meets, keep 5 positive statements in your pocket on a recipe card. This helps reassure that you are doing great. These statements can be anywhere from 'I will do the best I can' to 'I will jump more in this quiz'. Make sure that the statements are derived from learning goals, not winning goals. That way, they are improving your personal quizzing, not just frustrating yourself. Also, make sure you are saying that you will, not that you might. If you say you might, you might not. If you say you will, chances are that you will because you KNOW you will, not just THINKING you will.
Have a Frustration Plan
Okay, this sounds sooo creepy. Basically what you do is find the level of excitement you quiz best at, not too calm and not too nervous. (see 'Its all in your head' tip below) Then, if you have a really good quiz or a really bad quiz, that is where the frustration plan comes in. You basically do whatever you need to, to calm down or get a bit more psyched up, even just get out of a rut if you did badly or down to earth if you did amazing. Some people, like me, like to be alone, but I know that a lot of people like hanging out with friends between quizzes. Some ideas for calming down are: Writing in a journal, talking to some friends (not about quizzing), or listening to music (First menton^) or your 5 positive statements (^). To get psyched up, you can study, walk around a bit to get your blood pumping or do random fun stuff.
Eat/Drink/Chew Gum
Before every quiz (now) I eat 2 5-cent candies, and drink water as much as I can. I feel that having something in me helps me quiz better. Having breakfast is crucial! Cold water feels good when you're stressed/nervous at a meet. Also, chewing gum kind of acts like a fidget toy, it give you something to do (as opposed to making funny faces and sticking your tongue out like me) (or chewing on your knuckle... heh).
Sleep
If you don't sleep enough, your brain won't work as well. You won't be able to focus as well. When you're tired, you're emotional, and if you have a bad quiz because you're too tired, your tiredness will cause you to go whacko and nervous and stuff. So sleep the night before.
BREATHE!
"Well DUH of COURSE I'm breathing!" Are you? Are you REALLY? Truly, the tendency is when you're nervous to either hold your breath or hyperventilate. If you're hyperventilating, breathe through pursed lips or take really deep breaths. Hyperventilating will make you lightheaded an you will most likely eventually faint. Then you'd run into problems quizzing. I don't know about you, but if I woke up in the middle of the quiz meet and somebody told me I fainted... I'd go insane and freak out. Thats just me.
Have Time With The Team
I don't know about anyone else, but if I don't know how the rest of my team is going to do, I'd be pretty nervous. If you are like me, talk to the other people on your team. Get to know them, what makes them frustrated during quizzes (with certain people you don't even have to ask), what makes them do better, wether or not they like being alone... that type of stuff.
Be Happy About Your Achievements
Remember that however well you do, you've done more than you would've if you hadn't tried. If you get into championships and are sad about your scores... WAKE UP!!!! YOU GOT TO CHAMPIONSHIPS!! If you ended up in consolation, see it as an opportunity for some great quizzes, and if you don't like your scores, think about how much FUN it was getting them. However well you do, no matter what division, look at your success and SMILE ABOUT IT! If you're not going to be proud of your achievements and all negative, it WILL either rub off on your team mates or annoy them to the point of breaking. So think about your team here. Seriously.
Yes, Its ALL In Your Head!
Okay, I admit it. If you read my blog, I have a VERY hard time relaxing at meets. It KILLS me to not be focussed and psyched, and it kills my quizzing too (personally I have proven that to myself) but a lot of other quizzers need to be relaxed and calm. So figure it out for yourself AT PRACTICE (so you can't blame me if you are trying to figure it out at a meet and accidentally jump while you are thinking about it (o: ). Either keep yourself awake (sugar, sugar, sugar... maybe some caffiene, exercise to keep your blood pumping), or relax and get centered on the matter at hand (maybe not as much coffee or candy, STAY relaxed if you can, LOTS of deeeeep breaths).
Is Your Problem... STRESS???
Are you nodding? Watch this video. Extremely informative and EXACTLY what I'm trying to get at on this page. Watch to the end... there are some great quizzing tips... and this video isn't even ABOUT quizzing! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jAxMNqiTbs&feature=SeriesPlayList&p=E223B1E440798F8A
FREAK OUT!
Don't be scared to freak out... out loud! Its good fr you, kay?
Don't O-B-S-E-S-S-S... SHOOT!
You catching my drift with the title? (If not... its demonstrating my obsession over spelling... what? Thats lame? Psssh!) I mean, don't completely forget about studying and wing it... just don't obsess (STOP LAUGHING!). Josh from Southgate suggests that if you obseess over studying and swear on your mom you'll study day in and day out religiously and you will never not study and... you get where this is going? Anyways, you'll get nervous at a quizmeet and find yourself under-confident about your answers because you didn't study that section as much and it might not be word-for-word, or you aren't jumping fast enough because you don't measure up to your own expectations for studying. Seriously. To all of you who read my blog: Stop laughing. Its not funny. Nobody's perfect, okay?
You Can't Change The Past
Patricia is CONSTANTLY telling me "You can't change the past but you CAN change the future"... and its true. But thats not particularily the nature of this tip. How have your most recent quizzes been? Bad? Don't think about them. Had a GREAT rookie year? Think about your achievements THEN, not negative things. It will boost your confidence, and when you have confidence, you'll be more into the quizzes. (Hint: Maybe add something like this to your frustration plan)
Have LEARNING Goals
So, first you have to set goals... period. Set realistic, achievable goals for yourself. And tell them to somebody. A team mate or a coach, or even your parents could be good choices, that way you told somebody... I don't know why but it helps. Think about that goal for the entire meet, and once you achieve it, try to reach it again!
Now, notice how I mentioned that it IS possible to reach it AGAIN? That means your goal has to depend on YOU. Yes, that means your goal should not inlclude placing first or getting into championships. This is your goal and it should be ONLY yours. Sample goals could be jumping and getting up on 5 questions, quizzing out, even erring out. It could be anything. Just make one... it helps.
Eat Dark Chocolate
I know... HAAAAAAAAHAHahahahaha!!!! LOL! ROTFL! ROTFLSHTIDMTAMSFO!!! (rolling on the floors laughing so hard that I drop my taco and my sombrero falls off)
But in all honesty, it is scientifically proven (no idea when) that when people are about to take exams, eating dark chocolate helped boost memory, alertness, and concentration, and some chemicals in it are also supposed to decrease anxiety. Don't overdo it... you don't want a stomach-ache, but the evidence is there!
Trust Your Instincts... Sometimes
No, I'm not saying you should read the text once and wing it, as much as we'd all love for that to work. What I'm trying to say is to not doubt yourself. Most of the questions people get wrong are because they thought aabout it too much. They know the answer but in the moment of panic convince themselves that whatever they originally thought was right was wrong. Think about it, but don't doubt yourself too much. This, however, is not a replacement for your normal studying.
Mind Your Words
When you're nervous, there is a temptation to mumble, talk fast, or just stay very quiet. When you answer, make sure you stand up, speak up, speak slowly, and enunciate. Personally, I don't think it helps to make eye contact with the quizmaster, but it might just be me. Do whatever it takes to make you feel more confident up on the platform. It makes you feel less nervous, and if you mumble the right answer and they don't hear it, you might not get it right. Once you know the answer, OWN it.
Listen to music. It doesn't even have to be classical or calming or relaxing. Just listen to your favorite songs, your favorite bands, your favorite styles. If you listen to something you don't like, you'll just be bored and sick of it by quizzing time. I have pump-up and calm-down playlists on my iPod, so when I'm feeling a bit down, I turn on my pump-up list, and if I'm WAY too happy, I listen to my calm-down list. Just a suggestion, though, you don't have to make playlists if you don't want to, especially if it'll only stess you out more.
Stay Focused
I know this seems like something that would make some people nervous, but if you don't keep your head in the game, meet time is going to come pretty fast and you're going to be even more nervous. Try visualising the set up of the meet. Picture yourself answering the questions right. It sounds creepy, but it does work. During quizzes, you want to do good, and if you want it bad enough, nothing else will get in the way. Not even the fact that your brother is jeering and your crush is on another team (or maybe right beside you... if only you could just reach over and tap them, then pretend it was... NO FOCUS!!!), see what I did just there? I re-focussed.
Pray
Most quiz teams pray before every quiz, and it really does help. When you pray, you know God is there, and that thought in itself is calming. Also, when teams pray, you know that the quiz is going to go how He wants it to go. So you have nothing to be worried about.
Use a fidget toy
I have a favorite purple stress ball to keep me from chewing on my knuckle, but I know some people use fidget rings, bracelets and other random stuff to keep their hands busy. Thumb-feet are actually amazing (these foot-shaped piecs of plastic that you can put on your thumbs to fiddle around with). Another recommendation are didget fidgets. They're hard to explain, they're just rings that you can fidget with. They're cheap, and you can get them at Education Station. Fidgets are best for when you're just really excited and need to calm down or focus on a question. Stress balls, or things you can use as such, are everywhere... drug stores, book stores, dollar stores, Education Station... I've used erasers, lip gloss, foam baby toys from the church nursery... a lot of stuff works for a stress ball. These work best when you're more nervous (or terriffied) than giddy. I actually don't know why the hands have to be doing something, but it really helps.
Know people in the crowd
Invite friends and family to your quiz meets, and try to make sure they are there for the whole meet. If you haven't read my blog from the beginning, watching my mom and grandma leave Nakamun at my Rookie year Finals kind of jinxed me. Having somebody you know there cheering for you really helps. That way when you aren't having a good quiz, you know they still have your back and when you are having a great quiz, they were there to see it!
Keep a smile on your face
Being depressed doesn't help your quizzing. Big surprise, hey? Even if you really aren't happy, fake a smile and in no time it will probably be real. Make sure you are encouraging to your teammates so they don't feel like they are letting the team down. Personal suggestion: Don't tell them that they did amazing when they really didn't. Some people get really emotional when they know they didn't do good and their friends will never tell them when they stunk, so they never know when they really did do good. Just tell them that they could've done a bit better but they still rock and leave it at that. Or better yet, don't bring it up in the first place! 'Good jump' after an error, or 'nice try' if they didn't have a good jump, is totally fine. Leave it alone.
If you want to study, study!
Studying between quizzes calms my nerves a little bit at meets, because I am more confident that I know what I am doing. But some people might not want to study between quizzes because it gets them a bit too psyched or makes them even more nervous, and thats the last thing you need. So only study between quizzes if you want to study!
5 Positive Statements
Sometimes criticism is good for your quizzing, but you can't always be thinking about what you didn't do 'good enough' to try to put it into words. At quiz meets, keep 5 positive statements in your pocket on a recipe card. This helps reassure that you are doing great. These statements can be anywhere from 'I will do the best I can' to 'I will jump more in this quiz'. Make sure that the statements are derived from learning goals, not winning goals. That way, they are improving your personal quizzing, not just frustrating yourself. Also, make sure you are saying that you will, not that you might. If you say you might, you might not. If you say you will, chances are that you will because you KNOW you will, not just THINKING you will.
Have a Frustration Plan
Okay, this sounds sooo creepy. Basically what you do is find the level of excitement you quiz best at, not too calm and not too nervous. (see 'Its all in your head' tip below) Then, if you have a really good quiz or a really bad quiz, that is where the frustration plan comes in. You basically do whatever you need to, to calm down or get a bit more psyched up, even just get out of a rut if you did badly or down to earth if you did amazing. Some people, like me, like to be alone, but I know that a lot of people like hanging out with friends between quizzes. Some ideas for calming down are: Writing in a journal, talking to some friends (not about quizzing), or listening to music (First menton^) or your 5 positive statements (^). To get psyched up, you can study, walk around a bit to get your blood pumping or do random fun stuff.
Eat/Drink/Chew Gum
Before every quiz (now) I eat 2 5-cent candies, and drink water as much as I can. I feel that having something in me helps me quiz better. Having breakfast is crucial! Cold water feels good when you're stressed/nervous at a meet. Also, chewing gum kind of acts like a fidget toy, it give you something to do (as opposed to making funny faces and sticking your tongue out like me) (or chewing on your knuckle... heh).
Sleep
If you don't sleep enough, your brain won't work as well. You won't be able to focus as well. When you're tired, you're emotional, and if you have a bad quiz because you're too tired, your tiredness will cause you to go whacko and nervous and stuff. So sleep the night before.
BREATHE!
"Well DUH of COURSE I'm breathing!" Are you? Are you REALLY? Truly, the tendency is when you're nervous to either hold your breath or hyperventilate. If you're hyperventilating, breathe through pursed lips or take really deep breaths. Hyperventilating will make you lightheaded an you will most likely eventually faint. Then you'd run into problems quizzing. I don't know about you, but if I woke up in the middle of the quiz meet and somebody told me I fainted... I'd go insane and freak out. Thats just me.
Have Time With The Team
I don't know about anyone else, but if I don't know how the rest of my team is going to do, I'd be pretty nervous. If you are like me, talk to the other people on your team. Get to know them, what makes them frustrated during quizzes (with certain people you don't even have to ask), what makes them do better, wether or not they like being alone... that type of stuff.
Be Happy About Your Achievements
Remember that however well you do, you've done more than you would've if you hadn't tried. If you get into championships and are sad about your scores... WAKE UP!!!! YOU GOT TO CHAMPIONSHIPS!! If you ended up in consolation, see it as an opportunity for some great quizzes, and if you don't like your scores, think about how much FUN it was getting them. However well you do, no matter what division, look at your success and SMILE ABOUT IT! If you're not going to be proud of your achievements and all negative, it WILL either rub off on your team mates or annoy them to the point of breaking. So think about your team here. Seriously.
Yes, Its ALL In Your Head!
Okay, I admit it. If you read my blog, I have a VERY hard time relaxing at meets. It KILLS me to not be focussed and psyched, and it kills my quizzing too (personally I have proven that to myself) but a lot of other quizzers need to be relaxed and calm. So figure it out for yourself AT PRACTICE (so you can't blame me if you are trying to figure it out at a meet and accidentally jump while you are thinking about it (o: ). Either keep yourself awake (sugar, sugar, sugar... maybe some caffiene, exercise to keep your blood pumping), or relax and get centered on the matter at hand (maybe not as much coffee or candy, STAY relaxed if you can, LOTS of deeeeep breaths).
Is Your Problem... STRESS???
Are you nodding? Watch this video. Extremely informative and EXACTLY what I'm trying to get at on this page. Watch to the end... there are some great quizzing tips... and this video isn't even ABOUT quizzing! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jAxMNqiTbs&feature=SeriesPlayList&p=E223B1E440798F8A
FREAK OUT!
Don't be scared to freak out... out loud! Its good fr you, kay?
Don't O-B-S-E-S-S-S... SHOOT!
You catching my drift with the title? (If not... its demonstrating my obsession over spelling... what? Thats lame? Psssh!) I mean, don't completely forget about studying and wing it... just don't obsess (STOP LAUGHING!). Josh from Southgate suggests that if you obseess over studying and swear on your mom you'll study day in and day out religiously and you will never not study and... you get where this is going? Anyways, you'll get nervous at a quizmeet and find yourself under-confident about your answers because you didn't study that section as much and it might not be word-for-word, or you aren't jumping fast enough because you don't measure up to your own expectations for studying. Seriously. To all of you who read my blog: Stop laughing. Its not funny. Nobody's perfect, okay?
You Can't Change The Past
Patricia is CONSTANTLY telling me "You can't change the past but you CAN change the future"... and its true. But thats not particularily the nature of this tip. How have your most recent quizzes been? Bad? Don't think about them. Had a GREAT rookie year? Think about your achievements THEN, not negative things. It will boost your confidence, and when you have confidence, you'll be more into the quizzes. (Hint: Maybe add something like this to your frustration plan)
Have LEARNING Goals
So, first you have to set goals... period. Set realistic, achievable goals for yourself. And tell them to somebody. A team mate or a coach, or even your parents could be good choices, that way you told somebody... I don't know why but it helps. Think about that goal for the entire meet, and once you achieve it, try to reach it again!
Now, notice how I mentioned that it IS possible to reach it AGAIN? That means your goal has to depend on YOU. Yes, that means your goal should not inlclude placing first or getting into championships. This is your goal and it should be ONLY yours. Sample goals could be jumping and getting up on 5 questions, quizzing out, even erring out. It could be anything. Just make one... it helps.
Eat Dark Chocolate
I know... HAAAAAAAAHAHahahahaha!!!! LOL! ROTFL! ROTFLSHTIDMTAMSFO!!! (rolling on the floors laughing so hard that I drop my taco and my sombrero falls off)
But in all honesty, it is scientifically proven (no idea when) that when people are about to take exams, eating dark chocolate helped boost memory, alertness, and concentration, and some chemicals in it are also supposed to decrease anxiety. Don't overdo it... you don't want a stomach-ache, but the evidence is there!
Trust Your Instincts... Sometimes
No, I'm not saying you should read the text once and wing it, as much as we'd all love for that to work. What I'm trying to say is to not doubt yourself. Most of the questions people get wrong are because they thought aabout it too much. They know the answer but in the moment of panic convince themselves that whatever they originally thought was right was wrong. Think about it, but don't doubt yourself too much. This, however, is not a replacement for your normal studying.
Mind Your Words
When you're nervous, there is a temptation to mumble, talk fast, or just stay very quiet. When you answer, make sure you stand up, speak up, speak slowly, and enunciate. Personally, I don't think it helps to make eye contact with the quizmaster, but it might just be me. Do whatever it takes to make you feel more confident up on the platform. It makes you feel less nervous, and if you mumble the right answer and they don't hear it, you might not get it right. Once you know the answer, OWN it.