Anxiety before an exam isn't a character flaw — it's your nervous system, working as designed. The goal isn't to silence it. It's to give it something useful to do for the next 90 seconds.
Name it, out loud
Whisper or think: 'this is anxiety, not danger.' Naming the state lowers its grip — your prefrontal cortex comes back online.
5-4-3-2-1 grounding
Five things you can see, four you can touch, three you can hear, two you can smell, one you can taste. Two minutes, anywhere.
Cold water on the wrists
Run cold water on the inside of your wrists for 30 seconds. The dive reflex slows your heart rate measurably.
Box breathing 4–4–4–4
Inhale 4, hold 4, exhale 4, hold 4. Four cycles. This is the technique special-forces medics teach — it's not pseudoscience.
Pre-write your first line
The night before, write the first sentence you'll put on the page. Starting is what anxiety blocks, so remove starting from the equation.