Social anxiety
Which of the following could be symptoms of anxiety? 1. Sweating 2. Rapid heart rate 3. Feeling self-conscious 4. Avoiding scary situations 5. All of the above
5. All of the above are common symptoms of anxiety!
What are some activities that you do that relax you?
This could be anything! Drawing, listening to music, drumming, eating good food, spending time with family. Anything that makes you feel less anxious and more at peace.
True or false: avoidance of things is one of the most common reactions to anxiety.
True! This is called a safety behavior, because when we avoid scary things it makes us feel like we are safe. BUT- this is where anxiety lies. Avoiding scary things actually only makes things worse, like in the dog example. When anxiety is telling you to avoid something, the best thing you can do is do it anyways!
Why does facing fears help reduce anxiety?
Because as you begin to face fears, it teaches your anxiety that you are actually able to face scary situations. Often, the situations actually don't even end up being all that scary!
What is the 54321 grounding technique?
Lets learn it!
1. Notice 5 things that you can see around you. What do they look like? Do you like them?
2. Notice 4 things that you can touch around you. How do they feel?
3. Notice 3 things you can hear. What do they sound like?
4. notice 2 things you can smell. Do you like these smells?
5. notice 1 thing you can taste. Do you have a drink or snack nearby? How does it taste?
True or false: animals help relieve anxiety!
True! Being with people and animals can help anxiety defuse and help us feel more confident.
True or false: having social anxiety means that you do not have good social skills
False! Social anxiety doesn't have to be correlated with social skills. However, sometimes working on social skills can provide confidence in working on social anxiety, so can be helpful!
What is color grounding?
Pick a color, any color! Say you pick purple. Take some time and notice all the purple items around you, allowing yourself to sit with anxiety and calm down. If you finish this and are still feeling anxious, choose another color and keep going!
True or false: when anxiety asks a "what if" question, we have to answer it or we will go crazy.
False! Anxiety makes us feel like we have to be totally sure about things- but that is a myth! Choosing uncertainty can be a huge help in facing fears.
What are some examples of situations that may cause someone to experience social anxiety?
Being asked questions in school, having to speak in front of others, having to give presentations, making phone calls, ordering food, and many more!
What is your imaginary safe space?
This could be anything! Close your eyes, and imagine that you are totally at peace. Where are you? What can you see? Who is there with you? Return to this place in the future when you are feeling anxious to help ground you.
True or false: we have no control over how we respond to the thoughts in our head
False!! While we cannot control what we think, we can control whether or not we believe the thought and how we respond to it.
True or false: research shows that people do not like being friends with people with social anxiety.
FALSE! Research actually shows that people like befriending people with social anxiety.
Is deep breathing helpful in calming anxiety?
Yes! Here is an easy technique to try. Box breathing means that you breathe in for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds, breathe out for 4 seconds, and repeat until you feel calmer
True or false: we are more capable of doing scary things than we think we are
TRUE!!!