Hello folks. I'm new here and joined up because I recently had my third not very fun anxiety freakout on a PhD Midterm. Not fun.

I'm a third year part time PhD student. I have a full time job so I attend night classes. In my first year I got DX'ed with a rare brain condition which, after 6 months of tests, was deemed to be stable and I'll just live with knowing I can never, ever play any contact sport again (sigh). Concurrent with this, I had my first episode of a panic attack during an exam. It's definitely not under-preparation, but some combination of a fear of failure and a sense of urgency due to that head issue. I survived my first year, thrived in my second, just got published!!!!!, and then had a freakout last week and I'm pretty sure I badly burned a midterm exam.

I'd like to know from others who had test anxiety how they dealt and got it under control, and any advice on talking to this professor about how I can remedy a poor midterm test performance.

Thanks folks,

Well, crud. Bueller?

have you tried bach's rescue remedy? If you think its anxiety beyond 'normal anxiety' you may want to see your gp about it.

Thanks for the idea, but it says its for women, and umm, I don't qualify there =). I do believe my anxiety is far beyond what is normal nor what should be typical. I had a script for Xanax but that also dulls your mind, so its a double edged sword, and didn't work that well this time.

I don't think bach's rescue remedy is just for women, I think its just marketed that way, I don't think there's anything hormonal or otherwise in it that would be harmful for a man? I give it to my dog for long car journeys :-)

I'd go back to your GP, they could either presribe something better, and/or refer you to some kind of counselling or to someone who can help with stress/anxiety reduction.

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I feel your pain! Bach's isn't just for women, however it is only a step away from being a homeopathic remedy and therefore I am sceptical about how much it works. I did try it and it did nothing for me.. however others have said it works wonders.

I suffer with anxiety/panic attacks (it seems to be common amongst us PhDers... I wonder what that means?!) and the one single thing that has made a huge difference to me is cutting out caffeine. I had heard people say that you should do this, but always though 'oh how much harm can it do?'. My doctor then instructed me to cut it out for two weeks, so I did so, and it really does take away that constant 'on edge' feeling. It;s not completely cured me, but it has definitely made me generally more chilled and dare I say it, rational! The first few days are a killer though.

If you are actually suffering panic attacks as well, you could try beta blockers, although I'm cautious about relying on meds. I have been prescribed them but have only ever taken one - it did stop the physical symptoms of panic, but not the psychological ones. Just an option anyway - a lot of people choose not to take that route, but if it is for one off/infrequent situations and helps, then might be worth considering.

Other herbal options include St Johns Wort and Valerian.

Good luck :)