CBT Model
What does CBT stand for?
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Name one physical symptom of anxiety
Any one of: racing heart, sweating, shaking, trouble breathing, stomach pain, headache, muscle tension
What is social anxiety?
Fear of social situations or worrying that people will judge you
Name one healthy way to cope with anxiety
Any of: deep breathing, exercise, talking to someone, writing in a journal, drawing, listening to music
What is exposure therapy?
Slowly facing the thing you're afraid of to learn it's not as scary as you think
Name the three parts of the CBT model
Thoughts, feelings, and behaviors
What's a worry that someone with anxiety might have?
Any realistic worry, such as: "What if I fail the test?" or "What if people judge me?"
What is a phobia?
An intense fear of a specific thing (like spiders, heights, or dogs)
What is deep breathing and how does it help anxiety?
Breathing slowly and deeply to calm your body and mind
True or False: During an exposure, your anxiety might get worse before it gets better
True
If you change your behavior, what else can change?
Your thoughts and feelings
True or False: Anxiety only happens in your head and doesn't affect your body?
False - anxiety affects your whole mind and body
What is generalized anxiety?
Worrying about many different things most of the time
True or False: Avoiding the thing you're scared of will make your anxiety go away forever?
False: it usually makes anxiety worse in the long run
Why do we do exposures if they feel uncomfortable?
Because facing your fears helps your anxiety go down over time; avoiding makes it worse
True or False: Your thoughts directly affect how you feel
True
If someone feels anxious, they might avoid something. Give an example of an avoidance behavior.
Any of: skipping school, not raising their hand in class, avoiding social events, not trying new things
What is separation anxiety?
Worry and fear about being away from people you care about (like parents)
What is a grounding technique? Give one example.
A way to calm yourself by focusing on the present moment. Example: name 5 things you see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you hear, 2 things you smell, 1 thing you taste
What is "habituation"?
When you're around something scary many times, your brain learns it's safe and your anxiety naturally decreases
Give an example of how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors work together (Example: you think a social event will be embarrassing....)
Any logical chain, such as: You think it will be embarrassing --> you feel nervous --> you avoid going --> your anxiety stays strong
Name THREE different symptoms of anxiety (they can be physical, emotional, or mental)
Any three of: racing heart, trouble sleeping, worry, sweating, trouble concentrating, muscle tension, dizziness
True or False: Everyone experiences some anxiety, and it's not always bad?
True — a little anxiety can help you stay alert, but too much anxiety gets in the way
If you're feeling anxious right now, name TWO things you could do to feel better
Any two healthy coping strategies (answers will vary but should be positive coping methods)
A student is afraid of speaking in class. How could an exposure help them?
By slowly practicing speaking (starting small, like raising hand, then progressing to longer answers), they learn it's not dangerous and their anxiety goes down