What is Anxiety?
Why is it important to learn about anxiety?
A. Most people do not recognize their anxiety for what it is, and instead think there is something “wrong” with them.
B. Anxiety can make people think that they are weird, weak, or even going crazy.
C. The first step to successfully managing anxiety is to learn to understand and recognize it!
D. None of the above.
E. All of the above.
E. All of the above!
True or False:
Realistic thinking means looking at all aspects of a situation (the positive, the negative, and the neutral) before making conclusions. In other words, realistic thinking means looking at yourself, others, and the world in a balanced and fair way.
True!
Which of the following is not an example of a question to ask yourself to help challenge your negative thoughts or self-talk:
A. Am I falling into a thinking trap?
B. What is the evidence that this thought is true?
C. What am I thinking right now?
D. What is the worst that could happen?
C. "What am I thinking right now?" is an example of a question to ask yourself when you notice yourself getting anxious, in order to identify the specific thoughts that make you anxious.
True or False:
Sometimes, our anxiety is the result of falling into thinking traps. Thinking traps are fair and rational ways of seeing things.
False! Thinking traps are unfair or overly negative ways of seeing things.
A time when they are green, a time when they're brown, but both of these times, cause me to frown. But just in between, for a very short while, They're perfect and yellow and cause me to smile! What am I talking about here?
Bananas.
True or False:
Reading, thinking, and learning about anxiety will make you even MORE anxious.
False! If you do not know what you are dealing with, how do you manage it? Having accurate information about anxiety can reduce confusion, fear, and shame.
What is "self-talk"?
A. The things that we say to ourselves without speaking out loud.
B. Our negative thoughts.
C. Delusions
A. Self-talk refers to the things that we say to ourselves without speaking out loud.
Give one example of an "anxious thought".
Some examples of “anxious” thoughts:
“What if I can’t do it?”
“I’m going to die of a heart attack!”
“People are going to laugh at me if I mess up during the presentation.”
“I’m going to go crazy if I can’t stop feeling so anxious.”
“Things are not going to work out.”
“I’m an idiot.”
“What if something bad happens to my child?
Name this thinking trap!
This is when we predict or assume that things will turn out badly without any evidence to support that.
Example: "I'll never get the job I applied for, so there's no point in even trying."
Fortune-telling!
The more you take, the more you leave behind. "What am I?"
Footsteps
When does anxiety become a problem?
A. When it makes us feel weird physically.
B. When our body reacts as if there is danger when there is no real danger.
C. When it affects our thoughts.
D. None of the above.
B. Anxiety is a problem when your body reacts as if there is danger when there is no real danger. It’s like having an overly sensitive smoke alarm system in your body!
True or False:
When we are anxious, we tend to see the world as a calm and welcoming place.
False! When we are anxious, we tend to see the world as a threatening and dangerous place. This is because imagining the worst can help you to prepare for real danger, enabling you to protect yourself.
Situation: You have an important job interview tomorrow.
Anxious Thoughts: "I always get so nervous about job interviews. I'm going to mess up tomorrow, and I will never get a job."
Turn these anxious thoughts into a more realistic way of thinking.
There is a chance that I might not do well in tomorrow's interview, but not performing perfectly in a job interview doesn't mean I won't get the job. Even if I don't get this job, it doesn't mean I will never get a job. I have always been able to find work. I can always get feedback on what I can do to improve my chances of getting another similar position.
Which of the following is not an example of "Black-and-white thinking"?
A. "Anything less than perfect is a failure.”
B. "I’m a loser."
C. “I planned to eat only healthy foods, but I had a piece of chocolate cake. Now my diet is completely ruined!”
B! That is an example of "Labeling", which is when we talk to ourselves in mean ways and use a single negative word to describe ourselves.
David's father has three sons: Snap, Crackle, and _____?
David
True or False:
Anxiety can be useful and necessary for survival in some instances.
True! Anxiety is a system in our body that helps us to deal with real danger (for example, anxiety allows us to jump out of the way of a speeding car) or to perform at our best (for example, it motivates us to prepare for a big presentation). When you experience anxiety, your body’s “fight-flight-freeze” response (also called the “adrenaline response”) is triggered. This response prepares your body to defend itself.
Realistic thinking is:
A. Something that comes naturally to everyone.
B. An extremely difficult way to reframe your thoughts.
C. An effective strategy to manage your anxiety.
C. The problem with thinking and acting as if there is danger when there is no real danger is that you feel unnecessarily anxious. Therefore, one effective strategy to manage your anxiety is to replace anxious, negative thinking with realistic thinking.
Give one example of a helpful question that you can ask yourself to help challenge your negative thoughts.
Am I falling into a thinking trap (e.g., catastrophizing or overestimating danger)?
What is the evidence that this thought is true? What is the evidence that this thought is not true?
Have I confused a thought with a fact?
What would I tell a friend if he/she had the same thought?
What would a friend say about my thought?
Am I 100% sure that ___________will happen?
How many times has __________happened before?
Is __________so important that my future depends on it?
What is the worst that could happen?
If it did happen, what could I do to cope with or handle it?
Is my judgment based on the way I feel instead of facts?
Am I confusing “possibility” with “certainty”? It may be possible, but is it likely?
Is this a hassle or truly horrible?
Name this thinking trap!
This is when we imagine that the worst possible thing is about to happen, and predict that we won’t be able to cope with the outcome. But, the imagined worst-case scenario usually never happens and even if it did, we are most likely able to cope with it.
Example: “I’m going to make such a fool of myself, everyone will laugh a me, and I won’t be able to survive the embarrassment.”
Catastrophizing
Can you name three consecutive days without using the words Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, or Sunday?
Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow.
Which ones of these is true?
A- Anxiety is dangerous.
B- Anxiety is abnormal.
C- Anxiety has no use.
D- Anxiety lasts forever.
E- None of the above
True or False: These are the three steps of "Realistic Thinking"
Step one: Pay attention to your self-talk.
Step two: Identify thoughts that lead to feelings of anxiety.
Step three: Challenge your "anxious thinking".
True
True or False:
Often, our thoughts are just guesses and not actual facts. Therefore, it is helpful to challenge your anxious thoughts, because they can make you feel like something bad will definitely happen, even when it is highly unlikely.
True!
Give an example of a "should statement".
(Hint: This is when you tell yourself how you “should”, “must”, or “ought” to feel and behave. However, this is NOT how you actually feel or behave. The result is that you are constantly anxious and disappointed with yourself and/or with others around you.)
"I should never feel anxious."
"I should never make mistakes."
"I must always control my feelings."
What belongs to you, but other people use it more than you?
Your name.