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How to Overcome Test Anxiety with Parts Therapy

If you are a high school student who is preparing for the ACT or SAT, you might feel nervous or anxious about taking these standardized tests. You might worry about not doing well, not getting into your dream college, or disappointing yourself or others. You might also experience physical symptoms such as sweating, shaking, nausea, or headaches before or during the test.
These feelings and sensations are normal and common, but they can also interfere with your performance and affect your score. Test anxiety can make it hard for you to focus, recall information, manage your time, and cope with pressure.
Fortunately, there are ways to overcome test anxiety and boost your confidence. One of them is called parts therapy, which is a type of psychotherapy that helps you identify and communicate with different aspects of yourself that have different needs and desires.
What are parts?
Parts are subpersonalities that make up your mind and personality. They are like members of a family that live inside you and influence your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. I’m not a therapist, and this is just information that I found to be very helpful. Some examples of parts are:

• The Critic: This part judges you harshly and tells you that you are not good enough, smart enough, or prepared enough for the test. It makes you feel insecure and doubtful about your abilities.
• The Perfectionist: This part sets high standards for yourself and expects you to achieve them. It makes you feel stressed and anxious about making mistakes or falling short of your goals.
• The Procrastinator: This part avoids studying or doing practice tests because it fears failure or boredom. It makes you feel lazy and unmotivated.
• The Rebel: This part resists studying or following instructions because it values freedom and fun over responsibility and discipline. It makes you feel rebellious and defiant.
• The Pleaser: This part wants to please others and gain their approval. It makes you feel dependent and needy.
• The Worrier: This part anticipates negative outcomes and imagines worst-case scenarios. It makes you feel fearful and pessimistic.
  These are just some examples of parts that might be involved in test anxiety. You might have other parts that are unique to you. You might also have parts that are helpful and supportive, such as:
• The Learner: This part enjoys learning new things and expanding your knowledge. It makes you feel curious and interested.
• The Planner: This part organizes your study schedule and materials. It makes you feel prepared and confident.
• The Optimist: This part sees the positive side of things and hopes for the best. It makes you feel hopeful and optimistic.
• The Relaxer: This part helps you calm down and relax when you are stressed or anxious. It makes you feel peaceful and calm.
  How does parts therapy work?
  Parts therapy is based on the idea that all parts have good intentions and want to protect you from harm or pain. However, some parts might be stuck in extreme roles or beliefs that are not helpful or healthy for you. For example, the Critic might think that by criticizing you, it is motivating you to do better. But in reality, it is hurting your self-esteem and making you feel worse.
  The goal of parts therapy is to help you understand, appreciate, and communicate with your parts, so that they can work together harmoniously instead of conflicting with each other. By doing so, you can access your true Self, which is the core of who you are. Your Self is not a part, but rather the leader or manager of your parts. Your Self has qualities such as compassion, wisdom, confidence, creativity, and calmness.
  To practice parts therapy, you can follow these steps:
• Identify your parts: Think about the different parts that show up when you think about taking the ACT or SAT. You can use the examples above as a guide, or come up with your own names or descriptions for your parts. Write them down on a piece of paper or in a journal.
• Explore your parts: For each part, try to understand its perspective, feelings, needs, fears, and motivations. You can do this by asking yourself questions such as:
• What does this part want for me?
• What does this part do for me?
• How does this part make me feel?
• What does this part need from me?
• What does this part fear or avoid?
• What does this part believe about me or the test?
  Write down the answers for each part as if they were speaking to you directly.
  3) Communicate with your parts: For each part, try to establish a dialogue with it. You can do this by writing a letter to it or speaking to it out loud or in your mind. You can use the following tips to communicate effectively with your parts:
• Acknowledge its presence and role in your life.
• Express gratitude for its intention and effort to help you.
• Validate its feelings and needs.
• Ask for its cooperation and support.
• Negotiate a new or different role or behavior that is more beneficial for you and the part.
• Offer reassurance and encouragement.
• Connect with your Self: After communicating with your parts, try to connect with your Self. You can do this by asking yourself questions such as:
• How do I feel after talking to my parts?
• What did I learn from my parts?
• What do I need from my parts?
• What can I offer to my parts?
• How can I lead my parts?
  Write down the answers as if they were coming from your Self.
  5) Repeat the process: You can repeat this process as often as you need or want, especially before or during the test. You can also use this process to deal with other situations or challenges in your life.
  Benefits of parts therapy
  Parts therapy can help you overcome test anxiety by:
• Reducing stress and anxiety by calming down your nervous system and releasing negative emotions.
• Increasing confidence and self-esteem by recognizing your strengths and achievements and challenging negative beliefs.
• Improving focus and concentration by clearing your mind of distractions and worries.
• Enhancing learning and memory by stimulating your curiosity and interest and reinforcing positive associations.
• Boosting motivation and productivity by setting realistic goals and expectations and rewarding yourself for your efforts.
• Strengthening resilience and coping skills by preparing for possible difficulties and obstacles and finding solutions or alternatives.
  Parts therapy is not a quick fix or a magic solution for test anxiety. It requires time, patience, practice, and honesty. But it can be a powerful tool to help you understand yourself better, heal your inner conflicts, and achieve your academic potential.
  If you are interested in learning more about parts therapy or other ways to overcome test anxiety, you can consult a professional therapist who is trained in this approach. You can also read more about it in books such as Internal Family Systems Therapy by Richard Schwartz or [Parts Work: An Illustrated Guide to Your Inner Life] by Tom Holmes.