For students like Lorriane Zinn, stress, sweating, and sometimes swearing can all be apart of exam preparation, but it does not have to be.
Even some of the keenest students suffer from exam anxiety and Concordia University College is doing its best to help its students combat this condition.
“My teachers would put that white piece of paper in front of me and I would just freeze,” says Zinn, fourth-year after degree education student at Concordia.
On March 31, Concordia will be holding another exam anxiety workshop to assist students in exam preparation and relaxation.
Exam anxiety affects each student differently, and can come in different forms, mentally and sometimes physically. Feelings of fear and helplessness and depression can be related emotional symptoms of exam anxiety. Physical symptoms can include nausea, sweating, increased heart rate, and even frequent urination.
“It is literally the shakes and I draw blanks in my memory,” says Zinn.
Each student who suffers from this condition must find their own way of dealing with it and stopping it from effecting their education.
“Sometimes it is just closing my eyes and taking a second and breathing,” says Zinn.
“This workshops can help students start to target their symptoms directly,” says Barb Van Ingen, counseling psychologist at Concordia.
According to Van Ingen, lots of students experience their mind going blank, racing thoughts and thinking really negatively about themselves and their capabilities.
By attending one of these exam anxiety workshops, students will realize that they are not alone and that this is a common problem among most students.
Some common strategies taught at these workshops is to make sure that students are taking good care of themselves, eating well, getting enough rest and having a strong support system around them.
