Name that thought
Assuming everyone is staring at you when you walk into a room.
What is spotlight effect or mind-reading?)
This organ pumps faster when you feel scared or anxious
What is the heart?
Breathing technique where you inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 4, exhale for 4, and hold for 4.
What is box breathing?
True or False: Anxiety is a rare problem, and most teenagers never experience it.
What is False? (Anxiety is incredibly common, especially for teens, and you are never alone in feeling it.)
Clue: You are about to present a project in front of your class, and your heart starts racing, your hands shake, and your mind goes blank right before your name is called.
What is take a deep breath, use a grounding skill, or tell the teacher how you feel? (Great opportunity to practice a 5-second box breath or find a visual anchor in the room).
Thinking "I failed one test, so my whole life is ruined."
What is catastrophizing or all-or-nothing thinking?)
Short, fast breaths that happen high in the chest during stress.
What is hyperventilating / shallow breathing?)
Naming 5 things you see, 4 you can touch, 3 you hear, 2 you smell, and 1 you taste.
What is the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding method?
True or False: The goal of learning coping skills is to completely get rid of anxiety forever.
Clue: You see a group of girls laughing while looking at a phone, and you instantly think they are making fun of a TikTok or photo you posted earlier.
What is check your thoughts, remind yourself you don't know what they are looking at, or walk away? (This targets "mind-reading" and helps them challenge the assumption that everything is about them).
Believing you know for sure that your friend is mad at you because they didn't text back immediately.
What is mind-reading?
The physical feeling in this body part often nicknamed "butterflies."
What is the stomach?
The act of splashing this temperature water on your face to activate the dive reflex and calm the nervous system.
What is cold water?
True or False: Having a panic attack means you are completely losing control or in physical danger.
Clue: Your friend hasn't replied to your text or opened your Snapchat in 5 hours, and you start spiraling, thinking she hates you or that you did something wrong.
What is distract yourself, put your phone down, or remind yourself she might just be busy or away from her phone? (Helps practice distress tolerance and self-soothing instead of double-texting or panicking).
Predicting that a presentation will go terribly before it even starts.
What is fortune-telling?)
The evolutionary survival response also known as fight, flight, or...
What is freeze?)
Writing down worried thoughts on paper and literally or mentally putting them away.
What is a brain dump / worry journal?
True or False: Avoiding the things that make you anxious is the best way to make the anxiety go away permanently.
What is False? (Avoidance makes you feel better in the short term, but it actually makes the anxiety grow bigger over time. Facing things in small steps shrinks it.)
Clue: You have a massive history test tomorrow. You feel so overwhelmed by how much you have to study that you just keep scrolling on your phone, making the anxiety worse.
What is break the studying into a tiny 10-minute step, do a "brain dump," or use a timer? (Addresses the anxiety-avoidance cycle and procrastination).
The habit of only noticing the one negative comment out of ten positive ones.
What is mental filter?
Tensing these facial or shoulder areas without realizing it during a test.
What is muscle tension?
Tensing muscle groups tightly for 5 seconds and then releasing them one by one.
What is Progressive Muscle Relaxation - PMR?
True or False: You can always tell someone is anxious just by looking at them.
What is False? (Many people experience "high-functioning anxiety" or mask it completely, looking perfectly calm on the outside while struggling on the inside.)
Clue: You are at a crowded school event or party, and you suddenly feel a panic attack coming on—you can't breathe well and feel trapped.
What is excuse yourself to the bathroom, find a quiet space, or text a safe person? (Focuses on action plans, finding safety, and using immediate coping tools like cold water on the face).