Getting Math Help: All About Math Anxiety

Tears, stress, avoidance, and anger: these are symptoms of math anxiety, a real phenomenon that affects cognitive function. While lots of students may need math help, those with math anxiety can especially benefit from a different approach. 

What is Math Anxiety

Math anxiety, also known as math phobia, is an increasingly common experience for students of all ages. It can occur for kids as young as first-graders and occurs well into adulthood. 

Simply put, it’s a feeling of stress, anxiety, or apprehension around dealing with math. When learners deal with math anxiety, they find themselves experiencing physical, emotional, and cognitive symptoms. It can range in severity, from minor issues—think of sweaty palms or jumpy nerves before a big test—to debilitating effects. 

Math phobia can affect the way our brains operate. The stress and anxiety we feel when facing a math problem can overload working memory. This makes it more difficult to access math knowledge or complete math problems. 

Students who grapple with math anxiety don’t have to live with it forever. The first step is spotting symptoms and identifying the issue. From there, math training and other key strategies can transform a once-stressful subject into a positive learning experience. 

Common Causes of Math Anxiety  

Math phobia doesn’t come out of the blue. Studies show that these feelings of anxiety and stress stem from common experiences. Here are some frequent root causes: 

• A difficult teacher or poor learning experience.
  A tough lesson or a stern teacher can leave their marks, causing students to become more daunted by this subject.   
• The time crunch of tests.
  Tests and other time-based deadlines can put immense pressure on students. If they perform poorly, they may feel like failure is the only option. 
• Learning differences.
  When students have cognitive differences like dyscalculia, ADHD, or autism, it means they may benefit from a different learning approach. 
• Fear of embarrassment.
  The classroom environment puts learners in a vulnerable state of mind. If they’re ridiculed for wrong answers, they may become more fearful during lessons.

Symptoms of Math Phobia for All Ages

How do you know when a learner is facing math anxiety? The truth is, they may not realize it themselves. Watch out for symptoms like: 

• Leaving the classroom during math tests or lessons 
• Frustration or anger when dealing with math
• Negative self-talk or lack of confidence
• Forgetting learning materials or homework at school
• Avoiding math or talking about math 

Identifying clear symptoms of math anxiety is just the first step. From there, it’s important to get math help for your learner.  

Math Help and 3 Other Ways to Support Your Learner 

Getting proper math help can help learners reframe their anxieties and take a new approach to studying. Here are a few options that can make a difference:   

• Contact the school.
  Learning shouldn’t have to be a trial. Schools can often set up accommodations to make sure your student has the support they need. 
• Use positive messaging.
  Make sure you’re not using language that makes math sound frightening, boring, or stressful. This can be a subtle but important reinforcement.  
• Celebrate small victories.
  Focus on the answers they get right and the areas of math they feel confident about! It helps for learners to feel like they can succeed in this subject. 
• Get professional support.
  Math training and other one-on-one support can be a game-changer for learners of all ages. 

Math Help Can Unlock Confidence For All Ages

At LearningRx, we know that every learner is starting at a different place. We assess clients based on their cognitive needs, their strengths, and any specific areas where they can benefit from support. 

Through one-on-one brain training, we provide hands-on math help to students of all ages. Learners can spend focused time getting familiar with math concepts, while also exercising and honing cognitive skills that relate to math. 

Our one-on-one trainers keep students energized and confident about their progress, with immediate feedback and encouragement. We help learners tackle math on their terms! 

Math Training or Math Tutoring?

When you need math help, it’s easy to gravitate towards math tutoring. But sometimes, math tutoring just isn’t the right answer. 

Tutoring is meant to offer a one-on-one classroom environment. In doing so, it can replicate many of the stresses and pressures faced by students with math anxiety. 

Math training offers a different approach. Instead of focusing on the material, brain training helps students improve their learning skills. For those with math phobia, it can be a rewarding way to reframe math fears into math wins!  

If you or your child is dealing with math anxiety, the right math help can be transformational. To start a discussion with LearningRx, contact us at 866-BRAIN-01 or visit us online.