Fire & Ice
This is what it physically feels like in your body when anger starts to take over.
Tight fists, hot face, racing heart.
This immediate physical action takes less than 10 seconds and signals your nervous system to calm down.
Taking a deep, slow breath
Doing a small task even when you don't feel like it—like opening the blinds or making your bed—is called "action before ______."
Motivation
This common brain trap happens when you assume the worst possible outcome is definitely going to happen.
Catastrophizing
This emotional state often hides underneath anger, making us act mad when we actually just feel hurt, rejected, or sad.
Vulnerability, sadness, embarrassment, or fear.
This is the difference between an anger "trigger" and an anger "reaction."
A trigger is what happens to you; a reaction is what you choose to do about it.
These are two people (inside or outside of school) you can reach out to when your mood feels dangerously low.
School counselor, parents, trusted friend, helpline, etc.
Rephrase this thought to be more realistic: "Everyone hates me and everything always goes wrong."
"I'm having a rough day, but some people care about me and things will change."
Depression can make you lose interest in things you normally love. This is a common phrase your brain tells you to keep you isolated.
"I don't feel like it"
"It's too much work"
or "Who cares"
When anger hits a 10/10, this strategy involves physically leaving the situation safely to cool your brain down.
Taking a break and/or changing your environment.
Depression loves isolation. This simple, 5-minute action helps break the cycle by connecting with the outside world.
Texting a friend, sitting in the living room, or going for a short walk.
This is the trap of seeing things in only two ways—like being a "total success" or a "complete failure"—with no middle ground.
All-or-nothing / Black-and-white thinking
True or False: Feeling angry or depressed means you are failing at therapy.
False. They are normal human emotions; therapy helps us change how we react to them.
Name a way to release intense physical anger energy without hurting yourself, anyone else, or breaking property.
Ripping up paper, screaming into a pillow, intense exercise, or squeezing a stress ball.
This is the term for the negative voice in your head that tells you things will never get better.
Depressive thinking, "The Critic," or Cognitive Distortions.
When your brain says "I can't handle this," what is a powerful 3-letter word you can add to the end to change its meaning?
"Yet" — "I can't handle this yet."