Anxiety vs. Worry
This feeling can make your heart beat faster, your stomach hurt, or your hands sweat when you think something bad might happen.
What is anxiety?
Taking slow, deep breaths can help calm this part of your body when you're anxious.
What is your breathing (or your nervous system/body)?
This unhealthy coping skill involves staying away from people, places, or activities because they make you anxious.
What is avoidance?
When you pretend you're "fine" even though you're feeling upset inside.
What is emotional suppression (or hiding your feelings)?
This is a quick thought that pops into your mind and often makes you feel upset, worried, or discouraged before you've had a chance to think it through.
What is an automatic negative thought?
This type of worry helps keep you safe, like looking both ways before crossing the street.
This coping skill asks you to notice five things you can see, four you can touch, three you can hear, two you can smell, and one you can taste.
What is the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique?
Constantly asking friends, parents, or teachers, "Are you sure everything will be okay?" is called seeking this.
Keeping all your worries to yourself because you don't want anyone to know you're struggling is an example of this.
What is bottling up your feelings?
Thinking, "I failed one quiz, so I'll never be good at math," is an example of this thinking trap.
What is overgeneralizing?
When your brain keeps imagining the worst possible outcome, you're doing this kind of thinking.
What is catastrophizing?
You can practice this skill to help bring yourself to the present moment. You can reach this "here and now" state by slowing down and just noticing what is around you.
What is mindfulness?
Spending hours replaying the same problem or "what if" questions in your mind without solving them is called this.
What is rumination (or overthinking)?
Talking about your feelings with someone you trust can help you understand them, solve problems, and get this when you need it.
What is get support (or help)?
If you think, "Everyone must think I'm dumb because I didn't get the right answer," even though you don't know that's true, you're doing this.
What is mind reading?
Instead of believing every worried thought, therapists teach kids to look for this before deciding if a thought is true.
What is evidence?
Saying, "I've handled hard things before," is an example of this helpful skill.
What is positive (or helpful) self-talk?
Some people cope by pretending they aren't upset or by pushing their feelings away instead of talking about them.
What is avoiding (or suppressing) emotions?
When you ignore difficult emotions instead of talking about them or coping with them, those feelings often do this later.
What is become stronger (or build up)?
A helpful way to challenge an A.N.T. is to ask yourself this question about the thought.
What is "Is there evidence that this thought is true?" (or "What's the evidence?")
Avoiding something you're anxious about may make you feel better for a little while, but it often makes anxiety do this in the long run.
What is grow (or get stronger)?
This person can help you practice coping skills, solve problems, and challenge unhelpful thoughts.
What is a therapist (or counselor)?
Saying, "I can't do it," before even trying is an example of this thinking pattern that can keep you stuck.
What is negative self-talk?
A healthier alternative to emotional suppression is naming your feelings and doing this with a trusted adult or friend.
What is talking about them (or expressing them)?
After catching an A.N.T. like, "I'll never make friends," the next step is to replace it with one that is more realistic and this.
What is a balanced (or helpful) thought?