Fight, Flight or False Alarm
A bear is chasing you in the forest.
Flight.
I have been in this situation before and it turned out ok.
What else could happen?
When working on a stepladder you should have a reward when you do a step.
True.
Lonely
Feeling. What is a thought that would go with this?
Balloon breathing.
Slow, deep breathing, where you breath in through your nose and out through your mouth.
You are stuck on what to write for your writing assignment.
False alarm.
I always have a hard time with Math.
What are the facts.
When you start a stepladder you should start by doing something that is really hard for you to do and causes you a lot of anxiety.
False. You start with something that will be easy. A 1 or 2 on the worry scale.
I'm so sad, how could this happen!
Thought. What is a feeling that would go with this?
You don't have to practice learning how to breath.
False. When we are anxious it can be hard to breath so we have to practice how to do good deep breathing.
The fire alarm goes off at the fire department.
Fight.
What has happened to other people in this situation?
True.
I'm so mad, I could punch someone.
Thought. What is the feeling that would go with this?
Thinking about our five senses can help relax us.
True. They help you focus on the moment, instead of letting your mind wander.
You are swimming in a lake and notice a storm coming.
Flight.
Usually when I worry about noises at night it is nothing.
What is most likely to happen?
False. You stay at the step until your anxiety goes down and you are comfortable moving on.
Frustrated.
Feeling. What is a thought that would go with this?
Worry surfing.
Riding the wave of your feeling and allowing it to pass through you, instead of trying to push it away.
You forgot your science project at home.
False alarm.
I could actually go and have fun.
What else could happen?
When you do a stepladder you should not think about anything else, just focus on what you are doing.
False. You can use detective thinking to help you have a realistic thought in the moment.
Something terrible is going to happen.
Thought. What is a feeling that would go with this?
Smell, touch, see, hear and taste.
Senses you can use to help you focus on being in the moment or can help you think of a happy memory.