Anxiety Physiology
Name a physical symptom of anxiety?
What is (increased heart rate, sweaty hands, shaking, blushing, etc.)?
Grounding is a way of utilizing healthy distraction techniques to help us focus on the present when our emotional pain becomes too much to handle.
Anxiety always affects people both physically and mentally.
False. Some people only experience one or the other based on their symptoms.
This person sees two people laughing and looking in his direction. He thinks they are making fun of him. What cognitive distortion is this?
What is mind reading, jumping to conclusions...
Name three factors that could increase a teens cortisol levels?
College applications, interpersonal conflicts, academic pressures, etc...
Why might our immune system be more vulnerable when anxious?
When our body and brain have to focus on managing stress or perceived threats, our immune system can be put on the back burner, making us more likely to become sick and find trouble in fighting off infections.
Describe an example of mental grounding.
What is '5,4,3,2,1...imagery, ABCs, etc.
When you have anxiety, it automatically means you have high cortisol levels.
False. Sometimes you can have anxiety without having high cortisol levels, and vice versa.
A person did not study for a test and automatically thinks they are going to fail. What is this an example of?
Fortune telling, all-or-nothing thinking...?
Why are teens more likely to struggle with mental health problems?
Hormonal changes, societal pressures, peer relations...
What is the name of our body's stress hormone?
Cortisol can be released during both minor and major stress events. This helps to lower our blood sugar and bring us back down to baseline. If we have high levels of cortisol, we can try to find ways to lower our stress.
What kind of grounding am I doing if I am clenching my fist tightly, then releasing it?
What is physical grounding?
Stress levels increase in teens when interpersonal relationships are compromised.
True.
Both the social and mental aspects of school also contribute to stress.
Scenario: Feeling anxious about a social event and concluding, “This will be a disaster,” despite no evidence.
What is emotional reasoning?
Why does anxiety increase as you go through puberty?
During puberty, the body undergoes significant hormonal changes, including surges in estrogen, testosterone, and cortisol, which affect brain regions responsible for emotional regulation.
What nervous system controls our 'fight or flight' responses?
Bonus Points: Specific area of the brain in which this occurs?
What is the Sympathetic Nervous System?
The sympathetic nervous system helps to switch on our alarm system. When we are anxious, this switch is hard to shut off; our mindset is in a spiral of false threats.
What is the Amygdala?
This area of the brain serves its role by helping to process heightened emotions (fear and anxiety) and send signals through the autonomic nervous system.
Each member of the group, tell yourself a positive coping statement.
Slay
Anxiety can be a good thing.
True.
This can help us be more vigilant and aware.
Scenario: Receiving praise for a successful project but thinking, “That doesn’t count; anyone could have done it”
What is disqualifying the positive?
How can genetics and personality factor into anxiety?
When one family member has anxiety, it may increase our likelihood of getting it as well. Also, if we are a generally anxious person who is always self-critical or a Type A, it can factor in.
What coping mechanism is defined by separating ourselves in order to not remember bad memories?
What is 'depersonalization' or 'dissociation'?
This serves us by protecting our minds from thinking about bad experiences, as well as from creating new ones.
What can we do if grounding doesn't work?
Anxiety can be a catalyst for depression, and vice versa.
True. We can have more susceptibility to other mental health disorders after one diagnosis.
Give me an example of a situation where someone is discounting the positive and catastrophizing.
Slay
What are some ways we can deal with anxiety at school in a healthy way?
Bring a soothing object, meet with a counselor, take a walk, go to the bathroom, and use TIPP, etc.