My Feelings
True or False: All feelings are fine, but how we may express that feeling may not be okay.
True. It is okay to have all the feelings that you have, however how you act when you have those feelings is important.
You are working on your homework, but don't understand a worksheet. No one is available to ask for help. What could you do?
Ideas: Try to look it up on the computer; call a friend and ask for help; wait for someone to get home and work on something else until then.
Name 3 different ways that you could calm down when at school or another public place.
Ideas: deep breathing; thinking of something pleasant; grounding, etc.
How do you ask someone for help?
[Practice what you would say]
Something that I worry the most about is______
[Fill in blank]
Name/Act out the feeling: You just got home and found out that your brother took your favorite video game.
What is anger?
True or False: When we are stressed out and anxious, we are better at problem solving when difficult situations come up.
False. When you are overly stressed, you can actually lose access to the parts of your brain that help in problem solving. Finding ways to calm down in difficult situations will help you with problem solving.
True or False: Exercise is a great way to help reduce stress/anxiety and depression.
True. Exercise helps with the release of endorphins (the "feel good" chemicals) which can help to calm your body and also help you to improve mood.
True or False: Asking for help means that you are weak and couldn't figure something out on your own.
False. Asking for help is a strength. We all need help from time to time. Knowing yourself and what you need, and being able to ask for what you need is a very good and helpful skill that can help you to be successful.
Name 4 places in your body that you can "feel" worry in.
[Name]
True or False: When we have big feelings, we shouldn't tell anyone - talking about our feelings only makes it worse.
False. When we have really big feelings it could be helpful to talk to someone about how we are feeling. It helps us get things off our chest, and opens the door for others to help us out.
True or False: Everyone has problems and challenges.
True. Everyone has problems and challenges that they face on a daily basis. You are not alone in feeling challenged by certain things. It is important that we remember to be kind to ourselves.
Act It Out: Practice 1 coping skill that you know.
[Practice...]
You are at one of your soccer games and did not hear which position the coach wants you to play. What can you do?
Ideas: Ask him to repeat it; ask another teammate if they heard what he said.
Name two things that trigger worry for you.
[Name two things]
Name/Act out the feeling: Your parent comes home on a Friday and announces that they have a surprise trip for the family to Disneyland for the whole weekend.
What is happy?
You are trying to concentrate on reading for school, but your sibling is being very loud in the next room and you can't focus. What could you do?
True or False: One way to calm down is to think more and more about the situation that is causing you worry/stress.
False. Over focusing on a stressful situation can cause more stress and worry. Finding ways to bring you back to a calm state would be more helpful.
You are having a really bad day and are feeling very stressed and angry. How might you ask for help?
Ideas: ask to talk to your parents and let them know how you're feeling/about your day; ask for some help by asking if they could give you some space.
True or False: When you have a worry, it will never go away and it will only get worse.
False. How we learn to cope with our worries and what we do to help reduce them helps us a lot. Learning about our triggers and different coping skills can help us move past our worries and handle them better.
Give an example of an "I" statement.
"I feel frustrated when I come home and the house is messy."
What is a problem that you have recently had. What would be a good solution?
Share about your solution. Do you think it will work? Why or why not? What can you do if it doesn't work?
Ideas: deep breathing; positive self-talk (e.g., "I can go and explain myself at the office, I can schedule a make-up time with the teacher"); think of something I enjoy.
True or False: When you're asking for help, you don't need to tell the person all of the details and spill everything about why you are asking for their help.
True. You don't have to "spill everything" to others when asking for help. There may be some things you want to keep to yourself when you ask for others' help, and that's okay.
False. There are some things that can contribute to more worry in certain people. This includes our sensitivity levels, how our brain processes information, and how we see the world. Learning about our triggers, learning new ways to see situations, and coping skills can help us.