Parents of Year 11 students are invited to join a talk with Counselling Psychologist Anna Jurek on Wednesday 28th February at Copper Beech Cafe in Dulwich. This is a free but ticketed event - book here.
How to navigate GCSE exam stress
Your children have been preparing for their GCSEs for the last 1.5 of their school life – they know how important these exams are and stress and anxiety are on the rise.
At this stage of the school term your child may be presenting with:
worries and anxieties, panic attacks
being unable to concentrate and revise
insomnia
loss of appetite or craving only unhealthy foods
hopelessness about the future
disengagement in activities they previously enjoyed
low mood and loneliness
risky and self-harming activities
Some of these symptoms are a healthy response to exams – we need a bit of motivational stress to be able to perform well. However, the stress response becomes problematic when it has an impact on our physical and emotional health.
As parents and carers, we sometimes feel lost in our responses supporting young people; we have been there, we know that our children will go through the exams and will survive them. However, children won’t find this useful – they need support with a variety of approaches, often designed and adjusted just for them.
Join us on 28th February at 7.30pm, where Anna will share her ideas and tips on how to support your children while they are preparing and taking GCSE exams.
At the end of the talk there will be time for questions.