'scared' To Play A List Piece Due To ?low Confidence, can this actually 'happen' and how do you solve it? Options

[jojo]

Hello teachers out there (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

I am not a teacher, I am posting here to see if you experienced teachers have any thoughts/suggestions...

I have been entered for my grade 5 violin exam by my teacher.
I was not sure I was ready, but my teacher does not enter people if he's not sure, so I trust him that he is right, after all his students get distinctions.....

Now, I was not set on what pieces to prepare, but over the past year have been trying to learn 2 pieces from A list, both of which I felt I was not progressing well enough with, first one 'Tambourine' we abandoned, then we stuck to A5 'Giga', thought maybe this could be achievable, but the more I play it the more I think I will never get it as good as I'd like to get it....so 3 lessons ago when my teacher entered me for the exam I said to him that during the Christmas break I have started learning a new A piece, A3 Bagatelle and that I think I am doing much better at this after 2 weeks of learning it than on the Giga after one year of 'trying to get it there'.

He did not like the fact I switch and jump from one piece to another and said I should stick with the Giga, I told him I lack confidence with the Giga, that I really think I will not be able to get it up to a good standard. He thinks I should do this one....

I thought as I've told him I lack confidence in it and I think I will not be able to polish it, that if he makes me stick to it is because he thinks I can, and he probably thinks that even if I don't get it to the standard 'I' would like, it will still be good enough....

I trust him so I am sticking with it, but deep down in myself I feel really depressed about this piece, I keep practicing it every day but I REALLY feel it is not any better than 5 months ago!

I had a break from it to see if this would help and did not look at it for 3 weeks over Christmas break, that did no good.
It is a baroque piece, essentially looks 'easy' but to be played at speed and make it sound nice it's actually hard work!
I don't like it anymore, I DREAD it, I never look forward to play it and I have brought myself to believe I will never (not until I am much more experienced anyway) play it well!

But I keep thinking 'it's all in my head', that I have 'beaten myself' so much over this that I have learnt to believe I will not get it polished, convinced myself so much that I am actually stopping myself from improving unconsciounsly, almost to prove myself 'I was right'

Yet I seem NOT to be able to stop this negative mental status I have put myself in!

Have you had any experiences like this yourselves or with students? Have you found anything which helped quickly and effectively? (the exam is in 2 months, maybe even less, don't have a date yet!)

I have even thought of going to a couple of hypnosis sessions over this, no jokes!

thank you in advance for your thoughts

Jo