Getting sweaty palms and a racing heartbeat are some of the more common signs of exam-related stress. But the affects of anxiety before, during and after a big test can weigh heavily on students during exam time.

That’s why Chandra Ciccone, an experienced educator, counselor and therapist, is hosting a workshop for Coping with Exam-Related Stress and Anxiety. The aim of the workshop is to help students learn how to manage possible stress that can arise before, during and after an exam. Ciccone says, with her experience, she’s seen it happen often: students buckling under the pressure of exams, even if they’re thoroughly prepared.

“I’ve seen it happen time and time again,” Ciccone says. “A student is prepared for the test, they have the knowledge, they’ve done the work. But then they go blank on the day of the test itself because they feel overwhelmed or they start to doubt themselves and they start to allow that stress and anxiety to take over.”

“This workshop will help students realize that they’re not alone in this and that it may be more common than they realize. [It will also] provide them with skills that they can use to help manage that test stress anxiety.”

The one-hour workshop will provide education on stress and anxiety in general, and some of the benefits and challenges of stress in our everyday lives. Ciccone will then move into more specific tips for dealing with test and exam related stress. The workshop will then focus on the importance of a healthy lifestyle and ways to be pro-active when it comes to stress.

Ciccone says her main goal is to have students (and adults) who attend the workshop to leave it feeling more confident, having not only gained knowledge on dealing with stress and anxiety in general, but also learning practical skills and strategies they can use to manage their test and exam anxieties. Ciccone will also provide online resources with practical tools for stress management that can be used at home.

The Coping with Exam-Related Stress and Anxiety Workshop takes place on Saturday, May 26th at the Movement Studio at 7 Balsam St. South in Timmins.

The workshop is $45. For more information or to reserve your spot, call 705-262-2918.