To break the cycle of Math anxiety, you must take possession of the condition and own the solution:

1. Explore your personal Math History. Vividly recall Math tensions or humiliations. Write them down. Write down your reaction to the experiences (then and now).

2. Write what your feelings about math are at this point in your life, together with the reason or reasons you wish to succeed at math.

3. Share your memories, feelings, and goals with others (via a class exercise or tutoring session). Discussing fears helps to dispel them.

4. Identify why you are motivated to succeed now.

Once you have taken possession of your math anxiety in this way, you will be ready to implement the strategies outlined below.
In summary:

Positive attitudes towards math are the first step to success. When does the most powerful learning usually occur? When one makes a mistake! If you take the time to analyze where you go wrong, you can’t help but learn. Never feel bad about making mistakes in mathematics.

Societal needs have changed, thus math has changed. We are now in an information age with technology paving the way. It is no longer enough to do computations; that’s what calculators and computers are for. Math today requires decisions about which keys to punch in and which graph to use, not how to construct them! Math requires creative problem-solving techniques. Today’s math requires real-life problems to solve, a skill highly prized by employers today.

Math requires knowing when and how to use the tools to assist in the problem-solving process. This happens as early as pre-kindergarten when children seek counters, an abacus, blocks, and a variety of other manipulatives. Family involvement is also critical in nurturing a positive and risk-taking attitude in math. The sooner this begins, the sooner one will become more successful in math.

Math has never been more important, technology demands that we work smarter and have stronger problem-solving skills. Experts suggest that in the next 5-7 years there will be twice as much math as there is today. There are many reasons to learn math and it’s never too late to start!

Another terrific strategy is to Learn From Your Mistakes Sometimes the most powerful learning stems from the mistakes you make.