Anxiety
Who can experience anxiety?
Everyone!
How can Anxiety make you act?
Checking; Reassurance Seeking; Helplessness; Avoidance; Escape.
Name 1 thing you can do when you have a worried thought?
Relaxation Techniques, Facts vs Feeling, Breathing Exercises.
"I failed my math test, I'm so stupid". What thinking trap am I?
Labeling. You attach a negative label to yourself based on one action or mistake made.
T or F: Everybody has Anxiety
True. Anxiety is a very natural part of being human.
What causes Anxiety?
Anything and everything! Anxiety can stem anywhere from genetics, trauma, past experiences, etc.
How does anxiety make you think?
Think about the worst-case scenario and it can tell you lies!
Which skill is a grounding technique that allows us to pay attention to our surrounding senses?
5-4-3-2-1 or 5 Senses.
"My mom said that she likes my hair, but she's my mom so it doesn't count". What thinking trap am I?
Disqualifying the Positives. You reject all positives in your life by insisting they don't count.
Medication is the only way to manage anxiety.
False! There are many ways to manage anxiety.
What are 3 circumstances in which anxiety can be helpful?
1) When Detecting Danger 2) To build on Motivation 3) To get us through tough situations.
The 3 automatic responses when experiencing anxiety are?
Fight, Flight, Freeze (Fawn). We typically activate these responses when our body and mind senses danger and adrenaline rushes through our bloodstream.
What is the TIPP skill?
Using temperature to cool our bodies, intense exercise, paced breathing and progressive muscle relaxation.
I feel anxious, and therefore I am in danger.
Emotional reasoning. Just because you feel something, does not mean it is true!
T or F: the more we escape or avoid a situation that makes us anxious, the more anxiety will grow.
True. Avoidance and Escape can provide short term relief, but in the long term, we cannot avoid anxiety-provoking situations forever and the situation becomes much more difficult to overcome.
When does anxiety become a problem?
When it stops you from doing everyday activities, when it goes off and there is no real danger, and when it happens frequently.
What physical symptoms of anxiety occur in the chest region of the body?
Increased heart rate; hyperventilation; Shallow Breathing, Tension.
Why is mindfulness and grounding skills so important to treat anxiety?
Anxiety is often focused on the future and what could happen. Mindfulness helps us to live presently!
"I will always have anxiety, therefore there is no point in learning to deal with it". What thinking trap am I?
All-or-Nothing Thinking. You see things as either black or white but never shades of grey, therefore missing on the middle ground where most situations usually fall.
T or F: Solely relying on our initial feelings and opinion rather than the facts helps relieve anxiety symptoms.
False. When you take the time to STOPP and think about the facts to the situation rather than our initial beliefs, our anxiety symptoms will begin to decrease.
What type of therapy is recommended to treat anxiety?
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy or "CBT"
How do you know when you are experiencing anxiety?
Overthinking, racing thoughts, worried, nervous, fearful, having physical symptoms, and wanting to avoid a situation.
Which skill involves gradually facing the anxiety-provoking situation over and over again?
Exposure therapy. We do this to slowly reduce your reaction and recognize there there is no real danger or threat.
Getting into 1 fight with a friend and thinking "everybody hates me, I have no friends". What thinking trap am I?
Overgeneralization. Making broad interpretations from a single or few events.
T or F: You should only use your coping skills when you have anxiety.
False. You should practice your coping skills when you are calm, as this can help to remember to use them when you experience anxiety!