Stress and Anxiety
Butterflies in your stomach, chewing on a pencil, fast heartbeat, muscle tension, sweating or feeling warm, and/or wanting to move or fidget.
I am light as a feather, yet the strongest person can't hold me for more than a few minutes. What am I?
The CDC recommends 8-10 hours of this per night for teens.
What is sleep? Many teens prefer staying up later at night and sleeping a little later in the morning. If you stay up late and still need to get up early for school, you may not get all the hours of sleep you need.
Anxiety can affect the way we think. We worry about what MIGHT happen or COULD go wrong. This can lead to feeling more anxious and thoughts that are INACCURATE. These thoughts are called?
What are thinking traps/negative thoughts/anxious thoughts, etc.?
This is a way of reliving stress, exploring your thoughts, and keeping track of your progress.
What is journaling?
Playing sports or keeping up with outside obligations, keeping up with assignments, drama with peers, fitting in, social media overload, speaking in front of the whole class, major life changes--divorce, illness, accidents, expectations from parents, to name a few.
What are examples of stressors (things that can cause stress)?
You are trying to log into a school website, but it keeps giving you an error message over and over again. You start feeling frustrated and overwhelmed. Instead of continuing to troubleshoot the problem, you give up, close your computer, and avoid trying again. You might tell yourself, "I'll just deal with it later," even though you know the assignment is due soon.
What is an example of flight response?
Under pressure, you need to reduce stress more than ever--Avoiding excess caffeine, tobacco, other substances, junk food, inactivity, and dehydration are examples of treating your _____ well.
What is treating your body well?
The idea that if something isn’t perfect, it’s a total failure. You try out for the school basketball team but don't make the starting lineup. You immediately think, "I'm terrible at basketball. If I'm not one of the best players, then I'm a complete failure. There's no point in even trying anymore." You see the situation as either being completely successful or a total failure, with no middle ground.
What is all or nothing thinking trap? All-or-nothing thinking is when you see situations in extremes. You believe things are either good or bad, success or failure, perfect or worthless. You have difficulty recognizing the gray areas or progress in between.
This is a way of managing anxiety that benefits both your mental and physical state. It allows you to relieve stress and increases blood flow in your body.
What is exercise? Examples: Go for a walk/run ● Dance to my favorite song ● Do 10 jumping jacks ● Do yoga ● Fidget or squeeze something (stress ball, stuffed animal, etc)
This is a normal part of life, happens to everyone, can motivate us, help us focus, lets our body know that something important is happening, and is tied to a situation or an event.
What is stress?
You have to give a speech in front of the class, and you’re anxious. You stand up in the front and you completely forget the words to your speech. What is happening inside your body?
What is an example of freeze response?
You see a boat filled with people, yet there isn’t a single person on board. How is that possible?
Everyone on board is married.
When the brain is convinced you know what other people are thinking about you (and it’s negative). You walk into the cafeteria and notice a group of friends laughing while looking in your direction. You immediately think, "They're definitely talking about me. They probably think I'm weird or embarrassing." You start feeling anxious and avoid sitting near them, even though you have no idea what they were actually talking about. You assume you know what other people are thinking without having any evidence.
What is mind-reading thinking trap? Mind reading is when you assume you know what someone else is thinking or how they feel about you without actually knowing. You often assume their thoughts are negative or that they are judging you.
Your viewpoint, attitude and thoughts affect the way you see things. This can help you make the best of stressful situations and to be open to new life lessons.
What is a positive outlook, finding the upside, silver lining, etc.?
This is a normal part of life, happens to everyone, your body telling you that something is happening, and is a feeling of worry or nervousness.
What is anxiety?
You are waiting to hear back about a tryout for a sports team or school play and are feeling anxious. As you wait, you begin to feel irritable. You snap at your friends and family when they ask how you think the tryout went.
What is an example of fight response?
Setting time limits for social media, avoiding scrolling right before bed, getting off social media when you notice it affecting your mood, reminding yourself that social media is someone's highlight reel, and turning notifications off while spending time with family or friends, studying, or relaxing aren all ways to what?
What is unplug? The constant exposure to social stressors through social media has great effects on teens. This can sometimes even interrupt your sleep or ability to maintain face-to-face relationships. Seeing “popularity” as likes or shares can create feelings of jealousy, insecurity and FOMO.
This is an example of_______ You have a big test coming up in your hardest class. You start thinking, "If I fail this test, I'll fail the class. If I fail the class, I won't graduate. I'll never get into college, and my future will be ruined!" You have turned one stressful situation into a series of worst-case scenarios.
What is catastrophic thinking? Catastrophizing is when your brain jumps to the worst possible outcome and treats it like it is definitely going to happen, even when there is little evidence to support it.
This is spending time with friends and family who can provide support and reduce feelings of isolation.
What is social connection? Build a network of friends who help you cope in a positive way. Knowing that there are people who believe in us raises our ability to deal with challenges. Who are the people in your life you can trust? Ask for help and support when you need it. Share what you're going through, including the good things that are happening.
There are two sons and two fathers in a car. How many people are in the car?
3--a grandfather, a father, and a son.
This happens when your brain thinks you’re in danger. Sometimes, your brain can’t tell the difference between real danger and an uncomfortable situation.
What is the fight, flight, freeze response?
This is a way to learn to say no to commitments that are adding to your stress and prioritize your own well-being.
What is boundary setting? Build time into your day for YOU. Schedule regular times for healthy and relaxing activities.
Is there any other way to look at this? Is there some other reason this happened? What are you worried about? How likely is it that your worry will come true? What's the worst that could happen in this situation? What's the best that could happen in this situation? If your worry does come true, what are the chances you'll be okay in... one week...one month...one year? These are the steps to what?
Challenging unhelpful/negative thinking. Just like it’s important to brush your teeth every day, taking care of your mental health is a daily practice! If you are experiencing anxiety, challenging your negative thoughts can be helpful.
This is a practice that involves paying attention to the present moment without judgment and learning to calm our brain.
What is mindfulness? Breathing exercises are a great way to relieve stress quickly. They’re simple to learn, easy to use, and can be done anytime or anywhere you feel tension. Learning to use mindfulness and relaxation exercises can help keep our emotions in check when under stress.
Examples: Take a deep breath ● Box breathing ● Rainbow breathing ● Belly breathing ● Doodle ● 5 Senses Grounding ● Imagine I’m in my favorite place ● Listen to music