How To Reduce Academic Anxiety
School can be challenging for many children, but for those with dyslexia, it often comes with a unique set of emotional hurdles. Beyond difficulties with reading and writing, many young people with dyslexia experience heightened anxiety in the classroom, especially at this time of year during their exams.
While support usually focuses on practical tools such as coloured overlays, assistive technology or extra time in exams, one area is often overlooked: the emotional wellbeing of the student. Cognitive reappraisal could help reshape how students approach these stressful periods, reducing any negative emotions they have and helping ensure they are prepared for their exams.
What is cognitive reappraisal?
Cognitive reappraisal is a strategy used in psychology to help people manage their emotions by looking at situations differently. It’s about teaching children how to pause, rethink and approach a challenge with a calmer mindset.
For example, if a pupil gets stuck on a test question and thinks, “I can’t do this – I’m going to fail,” they can learn to replace that thought with something more balanced like, “This question is tricky, but I’ll try the next one and come back to it.”
This small shift in thinking helps reduce feelings of panic and builds emotional resilience over time. A recent study published in Psychology Today looked at how cognitive reappraisal works in students with and without dyslexia. Researchers gave secondary and university students a range of realistic academic scenarios, such as struggling to follow instructions or dealing with a poor test result, and asked how anxious they felt.
After teaching them how to reframe those situations more positively, every student, regardless of whether they had dyslexia or not, reported feeling significantly less anxious. Interestingly, while researchers expected students with dyslexia to benefit more from the process, both groups showed equally strong reduction in stress levels.
How it can help younger students
For younger pupils, anxiety might not always look like worry. It could show up as frustration, avoidance, tears before school or even tummy aches, and for children with dyslexia, the source of that stress is often tied to schoolwork that feels harder than it should.
By helping children learn to recognise and shift negative thoughts, you are not only improving their learning experience but also boosting their confidence and emotional health. The earlier students start learning these skills, the more equipped they will be along their educational journey.
How you can support your child or students
Cognitive reappraisal can be a fantastic tool for students, and if you are looking to help your loved one or students, here are some simple ways to start introducing this theory into daily life:
1) Model calm thinking aloud
Students absorb more coping strategies than you may realise, so embracing calm thinking and modelling it aloud can help them understand how to address challenges. For example, saying things such as, “This is a bit tricky, but we can take it one step at a time” when helping them with their work will frame it positively.
2) Reframe the moment
Younger students can often feel like they are permanently stuck, so reassure them that they are improving and that this will not always be the case. For example, “Spelling is hard for you now, but you are improving every week!”
3) Normalise mistakes
Remind children that everyone makes mistakes and getting things wrong is perfectly OK and a normal part of learning that should not be something to fear.
4) Teach simple scripts
Teach your students some go-to phrases they can say to themselves when they are stuck, such as “I’ll do my best, even if it’s not perfect”, “I can ask for help if I need it” and “This won’t last forever, and I’ve got through tricky things before”.
5) Incorporate emotional literacy into lessons
Try to include short mindfulness activities into your day, taking time to reflect and discuss feelings and problems.
Need help with your students?
By helping children reframe the way they think about challenges, we give them tools that go far beyond the classroom. They’ll not only cope better with academic stress, but they’ll also grow into more confident and resilient learners.
Of course, these skills are only part of the support for dyslexic learners and ensuring they have the right tools to help them with their learning is essential. Here at The Dyslexia Shop, we offer a wide range of resources to help students elevate their learning experience and achieve their best.