Maths anxiety is very common. I’ve worked with people of all ages who want to improve their maths but struggle with the idea. Sometimes emotions get in the way. Perhaps you need to pass a qualification at work? Or want to handle your finances better? Maybe you’re facing your maths anxiety “gremlins” following a bad experience at school. These can be brave choices.
Here are a few tips and ideas to help you feel better about maths:
Focus on what you need from maths
Maths is a broad subject covering everything from addition and subtraction, to shapes and statistics. Although school qualifications tend to offer a taste of all of this – if you’re returning to maths after a while away you might not need to deal with every aspect of maths. Instead, decide on what you DO need. Perhaps you want to be able to perform drug calculations for a nursing qualification? Or engineering equations? Do you simply need to refresh your knowledge for handling your accounts?
Make a list of exactly what you want from the subject. What can maths do for you? Put yourself in control.
Demystify the maths
Maths can feel impenetrable, like an ancient language, but we can soften the subject be looking calmly at what it actually is. It’s true: mathematics is a language – a language of numbers, letters and symbols that we can use to describe the world and its rules. Maths is supposed to help – to aid communication rather than act as a barrier. Sometimes mathematicians forget this. Mathematical equations are just statements about relationships between things. These “things” are often represented by letters (this is algebra) and the story of their relationship traced by a line (on a graph). One of my first aims when tutoring students with maths anxiety is to take the sting out of it. (See below for more about our tutoring services.)
Banish the maths gremlins
Many of my adult maths students are returning to the subject after a number of years having pushed maths away. They say things like “I was never good at maths”, or “I can’t do maths” or even “I dreaded maths at school”. Sometimes they are angry, sometimes there are surprised by tears. Returning to the subject if often about more than crunching numbers, it’s actually a way to heal from a bad experience in the past. Facing these complicated feelings is incredibly brave. I am a qualified coach as well as a professional tutor. Helping people with maths anxiety draws on all these skills. With experience I will say: you can face maths gremlins from the past, and you can fill any gaps they left – and yes, you can absolutely have a smile on your face while you do it 😊
Practice your maths skills
Part of strategy for becoming comfortable with maths is practice. Firstly, because like any fear – facing it brings confidence. Sometimes you’ve just got to do it! Once you’re comfortable approaching maths, on whatever level you choose, practice helps you keep your skills sharp. Like learning a language, practice little and often is the best way to ensure you get the most out of these skills. I’m happy to recommend books, apps, or websites like National numeracy.
Get help with your maths
If you decide you need some help with your maths you might consider a private tutor. I’ve been tutoring maths for over 10 years, and have a PhD in biology and mathematics. I’ve worked with many students from GCSE up to adult learners. My advice is to find a tutor who is right for you – who puts the concepts across in a way you understand. If you want some advice on the best way forward for you, please get in touch.
Best of luck with your maths,
John.
Dr John Ankers
Specialist online tutor and academic wellbeing coach
John@wooltontutors.co.uk
https://wooltontutors.co.uk
