Math Anxiety ?🤷‍♂️

 

Math Anxiety: Have  you heard it first time?

Do you remember your kinder garden days when you could not solve that easy mathematical problem that your friend did in a fraction of seconds? When you were scared and nervous and just felt like running away from that math class. Those difficult maths papers which brought a chill down your  back or when the teacher stood you up to answer the question and you were just staring numbly back at that blackboard.

If you have been through any of these, then you must have suffered from a situation that has been  called math anxiety. Well, today via this blog i am going to help you to know methods so that you can easily overcome this problem of maths anxiety.

What is Math anxiety?

Math anxiety happens to be the anxiety of one’s inability to do mathematics wherein a person feels nervous, impatient and gets tensed and loses confidence in performing normal mathematical calculations like linear algebra, trignometry, calculus, etc .

According to a survey, it has been found that 6 out of 10 students have math anxiety or are considered to have a fear of mathematics phobia.

Why is Mathematics such a difficult subject?

Well, have you ever wondered why even mathematics is considered to be such a difficult subject? If you ever look up for the word “difficult” in the dictionary, you will be able to find the meaning as “not easily or readily done”. Now, this is the crux of the whole problem.

The thing that makes Maths such a difficult subject is that it is not “readily” done. The student needs to patient and persistent while he is dealing with such problems. For many students, maths is a subject which does not come automatically and they have to put in plenty of effort. Hence it is not the brainpower but the staying power(sitting power) on which it depends.

However, according to some theories from the scholars, left-brain thinkers tend to understand things in a bit of sequential order that is more logical while the right brain thinkers are more global. They take in a lot of information in one go and take time for it to sink in.

This is because of this time-lapse that the right brain thinkers are sometimes left behind and hence they feel confused. All of this compiles to why students fear mathematics and the same reason aligns with why students even hate maths.

Why do people get so anxious about math?

Well here is a video of Orly Rubinsten on TED TALKS.

Apart from this, some kids suffer from dyscalculia. This is a lifelong condition that makes it hard for a child to perform math-related tasks. It is mainly caused due to the difference in brain functions, genes, being prone to fetal alcohol environment or sometimes even due to brain injury. There are no medications for dyscalculia, however sometimes just keeping the child motivated enough so that they can work on their challenges might also help the case.

How to figure out you are struggling with Math Anxiety?

It is considered best to remove the problems of Math anxiety of a person when he is a learner so that they do not haunt him once he grows up. These are some of the generalized anxiety disorder symptoms which might help you figure out if your child is struggling with his math grades.

1. Unusual nervousness: Even thinking about it is enough to cause stress to the student
2. Passive behavior: The student has negative emotions attached to math that he or she might be unwilling to even try
3. Lack of confidence: It is the fear of failure that brings in the lack of confidence such that the student always relies on others to help him with his subject problems.

Panic during tests or when called on the board to answer: Classroom becomes a major source of stress to the students, especially when he is giving a test in the class or is asked to contribute.

As a learner you can easily conquer over these fears by just studying regularly, attending your classes. This will help you see examples that are not in the textbook and help you learn maths in quantitative terms. Moreover, you should always keep yourself organized by keeping good class notes and other such stuff. Mainly anxiety is caused due to disorganization.

Easy but best working tips to Reduce Math Anxiety

It has been found out that a maximum of the time a person carries this phobia of math from his  childhood to his adulthood. Overcoming math anxiety can be a challenge and you being an adult might be thinking that you will never be able to overcome this anxiety. However, we would like to tell you that there are certain ways through which you can leave your phobia behind and pave your path to success.

#1 Have confidence in yourself

In most of the cases, the problem with the people is that they do not have enough confidence when they are dealing with a math problem. You do not need to be born with a mathematical mind in order to be good at it. However, if you are well prepared to tackle the problems you might be easily able to solve them.

#2 Don’t think that gender or race has anything to do with it

Some people think that gender or race also plays a part in this case, but that’s not the case at all. In fact, anyone can be good at math with just a little amount of practice.

#3 Do not be afraid of making mistakes

You should learn from your mistakes and not instil a fear in your mind regarding these things. Even the best mathematician of all time made mistakes.

#4 Understand your basics properly

Before solving a difficult problem on the topic such as algebra, calculus you should first understand your basics properly. Apart from this, you should move with things one at a time that is, try not to rush with many concepts simultaneously.

#5 Ask questions

There are many people you ask for assistance in learning and understanding math. If you have a doubt regarding something, then you should directly ask the people around you have a better understanding of the topic.

#6 Do not get too stressed

Maths anxiety can show symptoms in your body in the form of stress. Therefore, you should always try to keep yourself relaxed and chilled and never fear to make mistakes.

If you are unable to control your anxiety I suggest you watch Kelly McGonigal TED talk below.

From a farmer to a scientist everyone uses mathematics in their day to day life. The subject makes our life orderly and prevents chaos. It offers rationality to our thoughts and even acts as a tool in making our lives easier.

It even helps us nurture certain qualities such as the power of reasoning, creativity, problem-solving ability, and even effective communication skills. Therefore anyone of you out there suffering from maths anxiety should try and overcome this problem by following the remedies which are listed above.

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