Math Anxiety: When Numbers Become Your Nightmare

Picture this: it’s the dreaded day of your math quiz. As soon as the teacher says, “You may begin,” your hands suddenly break into sweat, your heart begins to pound, and your mind goes utterly and completely blank. You stare at your paper as if you’re looking at an alien language, even when it’s not; it’s math. Strangely enough, you don’t experience this feeling in English class or AP class—only in math. Does this sound familiar to you? Well, there’s a name for it: math anxiety.

According to Medical News Today, math anxiety is “worry or fear about performing math calculations.” It’s that panicky moment wherein numbers make your brain freeze, and thinking becomes simply impossible. When you have math anxiety, a part of your mind starts spiraling into anxious thoughts like, “What if I make a mistake, or worse, fail the test?!” If this is you, don’t fear, because you’re not alone in this. Research shows that about 20% to 25% of children suffer from math anxiety, and a survey conducted across the Philippines revealed that a substantial number of adults face the same problem. This proves that this phenomenon goes beyond the four walls of the classroom, often appearing in everyday scenarios wherein people start overthinking, panicking, and blanking out—even when the math isn’t actually that difficult. 

So, what exactly causes this anxiety in the first place? In many cases, it stems from a lack of reassurance and reinforcement that affects your confidence. Social factors, for instance, play a major role in the lack of support. You know how sometimes, you feel reassured when you see that your friends have the same answers as you? Without that reassurance, self-doubt can creep in and make you question whether you answered the quiz items correctly or not. Over time, this cycle builds up and eventually makes your brain hit dementia mode every time you take a math test. Unfortunately, this lack of experience can be rather traumatic for some people and worsen math anxiety.

Oftentimes, when you have math anxiety, your brain automatically goes, “Uh oh!” as soon as you see large numbers or complicated equations. However, it isn’t necessarily the numbers that seem scary, but the way our minds perceive them. Apart from experience, our attitudes towards math may also be influenced by the way it was taught to us. It’s crucial to remember that every student has a unique learning style. When the teaching style used isn’t the most effective way for you to learn, frustration can grow, and you can end up lagging behind, which often leads to anxiety. However, it doesn’t mean that if you’re a little slower than others in doing computations, you’re any less intelligent. In fact, you might actually be good at math; it’s just that the working memory of the brain is all jumbled up because you’re anxious. 

Lastly, math anxiety is also influenced by stereotypes. Many students grow up believing that math is a subject reserved for the “geniuses.” This leads to an inaccurate belief of incompetence that culminates in an expression said all too often: “I can’t do math.” This mindset causes one to experience anxiety before they even try to solve a question. When this is mixed with cultural expectations, the stress can worsen. As Filipino-Chinese, we often face pressure to excel in math and are scolded for the tiniest mistakes. With expectations this high, it’s no surprise that math anxiety can be triggered easily.

Nevertheless, the truth is that math is everywhere—it’s present when you pay the bills, go shopping, and bake. If you stay afraid of math, you will forever be haunted by it, as there’s no way to avoid it. Not only will it impact your academic life, but it will also affect your future. 

Many times, the problem isn’t math itself; it’s the way you perceive it. But know this: math anxiety is more common than you think, and you’re not the only one struggling. The good news is that solving math is a skill, not a talent, and like any other skill, it can be learned through practice and patience. With constant practice, your confidence will increase day by day. Sooner or later, when it’s math quiz day, and the teacher says, “You may begin,” you won’t panic but simply take a deep breath and do your best. After all, as mathematician Paul Halmos once said, “The only way to learn mathematics is to do mathematics.”