Thoughts, Feelings, Behaviors
I wonder what's for lunch today
thought
Name one relaxation skill
Deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, meditation, visualization, etc.
What does ANTs stand for?
Automatic Negative Thoughts
What is behavioral activation?
Getting active in order to help ourselves feel better.
What is exposure therapy?
A type of therapy that helps you gradually face your fears and challenge anxiety.
Crying
behavior
What does mindfulness and relaxation do?
Helps to calm our emotions.
What is a coping thought?
A thought that is more helpful and balanced than automatic negative thoughts.
Give an example of behavioral activation.
Going for a walk, doing stretches, texting a friend, making plans with a friend, doing the dishes, taking a shower, etc.
What is a fear ladder?
I'm going to fail this test
thought
Take 3 deep breaths
Great job
Name at least one thinking trap
catastrophizing/assuming the worst, mind reading, fortune telling, should statements, all or nothing thinking, etc.
How does behavioral activation relate to our thoughts, feelings, or behaviors?
Behavioral activations helps us change our behaviors which in turn can impact our thoughts and feelings.
How long should you practice an exposure exercise?
Until you get bored (it feels much less challenging)
Irritated
feeling
Name a mindfulness exercise
finger maze, noticing colors, body scan, grounding
Give an example of an automatic negative thought.
Answers will vary.
Tell the group one behavioral activation activity that you or a group members plans to try.
Answers will vary.
Give an example of exposure therapy and exercises someone could do
answers will vary
Embarrassed
feeling
Intentionally focusing on a specific thing, nonjudgmentally, being in the present moment.
Identify a coping thought for this scenario:
Your mom gets mad at you because you didn't clean your room and you think, I never do anything right, my mom doesn't love me.
Answers will vary.
Explain the cycle of inactivity
When we are depressed we often feel fatigued and have little motivation which can lead to staying in bed and isolating ourselves. When we do this, we stop doing other activities we enjoy which in turn makes us feel worse (ex: I'm so lazy I don't even shower anymore) creating a downward spiral.
What are subjective units of distress (SUDs) and how do they relate to exposure therapy?
A rating scale for how intense your anxiety/discomfort are for a given activity, this helps you identify the levels for your fear ladder. Can be 0-10 or 0-100.