Multiple Choice
When we feel worried, we often become 'mind-readers' and imagine that we can correctly assume what others are thinking about us. 'Mind-reading' is an example of:
A. A Thinking Trap (AKA a Cognitive Distortion)
B. A Hidden Talent
C. Realistic Thinking
D. None of the above.
A! Mind-reading is a thinking trap (or cognitive distortion). This trap happens when we believe that we know what others are thinking and we assume that they are thinking the worst of us.
True or False:
Feeling angry forces you to make bad choices.
False! Feeling angry is uncomfortable, but you are still in control of what you do!
Sandra is sitting in the corner by herself at her sister's birthday party, avoiding eye contact and fiddling with her birthday cake. What do you think she's thinking and feeling and what do you think she needs?
Open ended.
Fill in the blanks for the acronym 'STOPP'.
S t _ p (Don't act immediately. Wait)
Take a b _ _ _ t h
O b s _ _ v e (What am I thinking about? What am I focusing on? What am I reacting to? What am I feeling in my body?)
P _ l l back (Zoom out! See the bigger picture. Is this fact or opinion? Is there another way of looking at this? What would someone else say about it? How does this affect others? What advice would I give a friend in this situation? How important is this situation right now?)
Practice what works (Consider the consequences. What’s the B e _ t thing to do? Do what will help most!)
Stop (Don't act immediately. Wait)
Take a breath (Slowly breathe in and out a couple of times.)
Observe (What am I thinking about? What am I focusing on? What am I reacting to? What am I feeling in my body?)
Pull back (Zoom out! See the bigger picture. Is this fact or opinion? Is there another way of looking at this? What would someone else say about it? How does this affect others? What advice would I give a friend in this situation? How important is this situation right now?)
Practice what works (Consider the consequences. What’s the BEST thing to do? Do what will help most!)
What is the rarest M&M color?
A. Brown
B. Red
C. Green
D. Yellow
A. Brown
'Safety Behaviors' are:
A. Avoiding or trying to prevent our fears from coming true.
B. Behaviors that may seem helpful, because they reduce anxiety in the short-term. Unfortunately, they keep anxiety going in the longer term.
C. Used in an attempt to prevent fears from coming true and to feel more comfortable in situations we are anxious about.
D. All of the above.
D. All of the above are true about safety behaviors.
True or False:
The two components of 'mindfulness' are awareness and acceptance.
True! The two components of mindfulness are awareness and acceptance.
Identify whether the following thoughts are facts or opinions.
1. "I listened to my friend talk about their bad day."
2. "No one will ever like me."
1. The first thought is an example of a FACT.
2. The second thought is an example of an OPINION.
ABCDE is a thoughts challenging strategy that stands for:
Att_nti_n! (Notice what your mind is saying.)
_eli_ve? (You don't have to believe everything you think!)
Cha_ _e_ge (Question your thoughts. Consider a different perspective. What's the evidence for the thought? Is this thought fact or opinion? What's the bigger picture (the helicopter view)? What's another way of looking at this? What would someone else say about this?
Discou _ _ (Let go of the unhelpful thoughts.)
Expl _ _ e Options. (Choose the best response. What will I do now? Do it mindfully.)
How to challenge thoughts in 5 steps:
Attention! (Notice what your mind is saying.)
Believe? (You don't have to believe everything you think!)
Challenge (Question your thoughts. Consider a different perspective. What's the evidence for the thought? Is this thought fact or opinion? What's the bigger picture (the helicopter view)? What's another way of looking at this? What would someone else say about this?
Discount (Let go of the unhelpful thoughts.)
Explore Options (Choose the best response. What will I do now? Do it mindfully.)
In a website browser address bar, what does “www” stand for?
A. Wireless Website World
B. World Wide Web
C. Which Working Webpage
D. Who What Why
B. World Wide Web
Which of the following is a strategy to help you practice being present in the moment, with a feeling of acceptance?
A. STOPP
B. Mindfulness Exercises
C. Examining the Evidence
D. ABCDE Thought Challenging Strategy
B. Mindfulness.
Mindfulness exercises help you practice being present in the moment, with a feeling of acceptance. Increasing one's mindfulness can result in reduced symptoms of anxiety and depression, improved concentration, and a number of social benefits.
True or False:
Changing the way we think and what we do can help us to feel better.
True!
Tony is sitting at his desk and looking out the window with a smile on his face. The teacher is discussing how to divide fractions.
What do you think he is thinking and feeling? What advice would you give him?
Open ended
"I feel this way because of my past experiences, but I am safe right now" is an example of:
A. Positive coping statement
B. Unhelpful thought
C. Silly thought
D. Negative behavior
A. Positive coping statement
In what year were the first Air Jordan sneakers released?
A. 1975
B. 1984
C. 1980
D. 1995
B. 1984
The NOW acronym is a way to focus on what is happening right now and use our minds to think logically. It helps us to stay calm and focused in challenging moments. NOW stands stands for:
A. Normal, Odd, Weird.
B. Need, Omit, Want.
C. Now, Often, Wait.
D. Notice, Observe, Wise Mind.
E. Notify, Obey, Watch.
D! The NOW acronym for mindful moments stands for: Notice, Observe, Wise Mind.
Notice where your attention is right now. Observe what you are doing: “I am sitting”, “I am looking”, “I am breathing”. Wise Mind: What should I do now? Continue being mindful? Do something else?
True or False:
We tend to not believe our thoughts, and we usually take the time to stop to question if they are true.
False! Automatic thoughts are believable – we tend to automatically believe our thoughts, usually not stopping to question if they are true. When someone bumps into me, I may assume the shoved me on purpose, but they may have tripped and accidently bumped me. Thoughts are not necessarily true, kind, or helpful. Often based on emotion (rather than facts), which drives our opinion. Don’t believe everything you think!
Which thought is more helpful:
A) "I can't believe I failed the test! I can't do anything right."
or
B) "I'm really disappointed that I failed. I didn't understand how to solve those problems. I'm going to talk to my teacher. She can help me figure it out and may let me retake the test."
B
It is helpful to ask ourselves whether our thoughts are FACT or OPINION.
If OPINION, then we can:
A. Look at the facts (what we do know about the situation) to challenge our thoughts.
B. Ignore the facts of the situation and make impulsive decisions.
C. Avoid the upsetting situation altogether.
If FACT, then we can:
A. Make an impulsive decision.
B. Avoid the upsetting situation altogether.
C. Make choices about the best thing to do in the situation.
A. If our thought is an opinion, we can look at the facts of the situation to help challenge our unhelpful thoughts.
C. If our thought is a fact, we can then make a choice about the best things to do in the situation to cope with, manage, or overcome our anxiety.
Which singer’s real name is Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta?
A. Madonna
B. Pink
C. Lorde
D. Lady Gaga
D. Lady Gaga
Our ________ is the balanced part of us that has our inner knowledge and intuition, where the parts of our mind where thoughts driven by upsetting emotions, and more realistic thoughts come together, the part of us that just “knows”, that inner truth.
A. Silly Mind
B. Automatic Thoughts
C. Wise Mind
D. Emotional Mind
C. Wise Mind.
The wise mind refers to a balance between the reasonable and emotional halves.
True or False:
Avoiding things we are afraid of makes us less anxious in the long run.
False! Because we don't want to experience this anxiety, we tend to avoid situations when it might happen, and therefore are unlikely to learn that it could be okay, and we could actually enjoy ourselves. Avoiding things makes our anxiety our anxiety stronger, but facing our fears makes them smaller!
Tonya is walking home from school and walks past Paul. Paul starts laughing. Tonya thinks, "he's laughing at me because of the way I did my hair today" and calls him a name.
What might have been a more helpful thought? How might that thought change her response?
Open ended
'The Helicopter View' helps us to learn to see things differently - see a bigger picture, a different perspective.
In any stressful situation, it’s easy to get caught up in the emotion, which skews our view of things. This is when we can utilize 'the helicopter view'
Fill in the blanks for this strategy:
S_ _ P! Take a Breath. What's the bigger picture?
First, take a moment to think about or write down information about the situation. (What happened? When? Who with? How?)
Next, consider the following:
SEL _ - What am I reacting to? What does this situation mean to, or say about, me? What’s the worst thing about thinking that, or about the situation?
_ _ HERS - What would this look like to others involved? What meaning might they give this situation? What might their thoughts & feelings be?
O_T_ID_R - How would this seem to someone outside the situation, who’s not emotionally involved? What would someone else say? What would I say to someone if they were in this situation?
WI_ _ MIND - Practice what works! What would be the best thing to do – for me, for others, for this situation? What will help most?
STOP! Take a Breath. What's the bigger picture?
First, take a moment to think about or write down information about the situation. (What happened? When? Who with? How?)
Next, consider the following:
SELF - What am I reacting to? What does this situation mean to, or say about, me? What’s the worst thing about thinking that, or about the situation?
OTHERS - What would this look like to others involved? What meaning might they give this situation? What might their thoughts & feelings be?
OUTSIDER - How would this seem to someone outside the situation, who’s not emotionally involved? What would someone else say? What would I say to someone if they were in this situation?
WISE MIND - Practice what works! What would be the best thing to do – for me, for others, for this situation? What will help most?
Which vitamin can be obtained from sunlight?
A. Vitamin C.
B. Vitamin A.
C. Vitamin D.
D. Vitamin B-12.
C. Vitamin D.