Assignment task:
You have a friend who is expressing worry about an upcoming test. He shares with you that the last time he took a test in the class he experienced a lot of anxiety, "Just went blank" and failed the exam. You say "what do you mean you went blank". He tells you the following, He was concerned about the test and stayed up late the night before studying. When he woke up he was exhausted and got a large coffee before the exam. He decided to skip breakfast so he could get to class early to go over his notes, but when they got there a group of students had gathered. These students were talking about the upcoming test. They were worried too and were comparing how much and what they had done to prepare. During the conversation, your friend noticed that everyone had studied a concept that he hadn't even looked at. At this point, his started to feel really stressed out thinking "what else did I miss". He started to frantically go through his notes and the study guide to see what else he had missed. His heart started racing. When the exam finally started he felt sick to his stomach and "just went blank". He is concerned that this will happen again. Is the test a unique or routine stressor? Is an example of a cognitive distortion? )