What is Worry?
You can feel worry or anxiety in your mind and body.
True or False
True
Where do you feel anxiety/worry?
What is a coping skill?
Something that can help us relax or take or mind off of the thing that is worrying us.
What coping skills do you already use?
Name one unhealthy coping skill.
Throwing things.
Saying something hurtful to someone.
Yelling at others.
Doing something harmful to yourself or others.
Shutting down completely.
Which of these do you notice yourself using the most?
Talking to others about problems in our lives is a healthy coping skill.
True
Talking to others allows us to share our emotions and problems so that we do not have to go through them alone.
Who do you find yourself needing to talk to in moments of stress?
Which of the following is a benefit of using healthy coping skills?
a) They reduce stress
b) They allow us to create better relationships
c) They allow us to have a healthy mind and body
d) All of the above
D) All of the above
What benefit do you want the most out of these? Why?
When your body feels stressed, you can want to sleep more or sleep less.
True or False
True
How have you noticed anxiety impacting your sleep?
Name a healthy coping skill that you can use.
Reading
Journaling
Listening to music
Talking to friends/family
Taking a walk
Deep breathing
Mediation
Talk to me about how you can use one of these skills in the next week.
Why are negative coping skills not helpful?
They can make the worry worse or cause another problem.
What impact have you noticed when using negative coping skills?
You can always learn new coping skills.
True.
You can always discover healthy ways to calm down or reduce worry. You can continue to learn throughout your life.
Are there any coping skills you want to learn in the future?
What are some coping skills you could use at school versus at home?
Home:
Temperature shock: Splash of ice-cold water on your face to quickly reset your nervous system.
Exercise: Lift weights, do push-ups, or move furniture to burn off excess adrenaline.
Creative outlet: Journal your thoughts without filtering them, or scribble aggressively on scrap paper.
School:
5-4-3-2-1 Grounding: Name 5 things you see, 4 you feel, 3 hear, 2 smell, 1 taste.
Deep breathing: Inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 4, exhale for 4, hold for 4.
Fidgets: Roll a pencil in your hand, use a fidget toy, etc.
Hallway reset: Ask for a restroom break just to walk and stretch your legs.
Which of these could you see yourself using?
What is worry or anxiety?
When you are afraid of something bad happening.
All the "what if's"
What are some "what-ifs" that often come up for you?
Healthy coping skills help us...
A) Deal with stressors in life
B) Work through our emotions or problems
C) Process our thoughts and emotions
D) All of the above
D) All of the above
Using healthy coping skills allows us to take a minute to process our emotions, stressors, thoughts, and problems.
What have you noticed about your anxiety when you use coping skills versus when you don't?
How can unhealthy coping skills negatively affect us?
Negative coping skills can harm ourselves, hurt others, or damage property.
Can you identify a time when you used a negative coping skill?
Coping skills help us avoid problems in our lives.
False.
Coping skills help us work through our problems and emotions. You do not want to avoid these. Avoiding is considered an unhealthy coping skill.
How has avoiding hard things served you in the past?
Exercise is a great coping skill that is good for your ______, body and ________.
Mind, soul
Exercise helps you stay mentally, physically, and spiritually healthy.
What have you noticed about your anxiety and worry when you exercise? Does it get worse? Better?
Everyone worries about something at some point
True or False
True
What do you notice yourself worrying about the most?
What is mindfulness?
Mindfulness is being present in the moment. It can be done through relaxation exercises, meditation, or simply taking the time to slow down and notice the things that are around you.
Let's practice this now...
Danny has a lot of stress from school. When he gets home, he yells at his brother to let out his frustration.
Is this a healthy coping skill?
No! Talking with someone is a great coping skill. However, yelling may strain your relationship with that person.
What should Danny have done differently?
The 5-4-3-2-1 method is a coping skill for anxiety.
True
This method involves naming 5 things you see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you hear, 2 things you smell, and 1 thing you taste.
Can you practice this now?
Name three coping skills to reduce stress.
Meditation.
Talking with someone.
Breathing exercise.
Physical exercise.
Mindfulness.
Yoga.
Are there any more you could think of?
When a friend avoids hanging out or talking, it may be a sign that they are stressed.
True or False
True
When you notice your friends doing this, how does it impact you?
Name 3 things that you can journal about every day.
Your feelings (sad, happy, mad, motivated, etc.)
Your thoughts.
Types of coping skills you use.
Things that you did today.
Goals you have for the day, week, month, or year.
If you were to journal later today, what feels important to write about?
Mary gets into a fight with her mom. She decides to leave the situation and go for a walk. Is this healthy or unhealthy?
Unhealthy, leaving the situation is a great way to calm down. She should have communicated with her mom to let her know what she wanted to do to relax.
What does effective communication mean to you?
Coping skills are not important for your well-being.
False.
Coping skills create a sense of calmness, confidence, and inner peace. They are important for your overall health.
How would having coping skills to use change your experience with anxiety?
How do you practice deep breathing?
Let find out with a quick video!
What was this like for you?