Signs of Anxiety
Name a situation at school you feel anxious about.
Any example of a situation is correct!
Show how you would take a deep breath to manage worry or anxiety.
Demonstrate taking a deep breath.
When a situation gives us anxiety, we should always try to avoid that situation.
False. The more we avoid things that are actually safe, the more our anxiety will grow.
Typically, what kind of situation causes our brains to sound the "alarm system"?
a dangerous situation or stressful situation
What are two ways your body lets you know you're anxious?
Fast breathing, racing heart, sweaty hands, feeling jumpy and restless
Name something you can do when you're feeling anxious at home.
Play on trampoline, take a deep breath, go outside, tell yourself you are safe, use worry doll, etc.
When we have anxiety it means we are in a dangerous situation.
False; most of the time we are not in danger when we are feeling anxious. Our brain is working harder than it needs to.
True or False: It's easy to think clearly when you're feeling anxious or stressed.
False: The thinking part of your brain (prefrontal cortex) actually doesn't work as well when you're in an extremely anxious state (Fight, Flight, or Freeze).
Name a situation at home you feel anxious about.
Any example of a situation is correct!
Name something you can do at school when feeling anxious.
Ask to take a break, take a deep breathe, 5 senses practice, tell yourself you are safe
Doing things we are afraid of doing can help us get over our fear.
True
Give an example of a more helpful thought to replace this anxious thought: This project is way too overwhelming! There's too much to do and I'll never get it done in time!
Instead, think "I can break it down into smaller parts and do a little bit a time. Just take it one step at time. I can do this." (or something like this)
Give an example of a thought you have when you're feeling anxious about what others think of you.
Any example of a thought is correct!
Imagine you are about to take a math test. You are very anxious about not doing well. What is a helpful thought you can tell yourself?
Any helpful thought!
If we stay away from the thing that gives us anxiety, eventually we won't be afraid of that thing anymore.
False, avoiding things usually makes our anxiety worse.
Name a type of deep breathing (we talked about several ways to help you practice deep breathing)
circle breathing, square breathing, counting, tracing your fingers, balloon breathing, etc.
Tell about a time you felt afraid but showed bravery and did the scary thing anyway.
Any example of a time you were brave!
Demonstrate how to calm yourself using 5-4-3-2-1 (sight, touch, sound, smell, taste)
Talking about our fears or anxiety usually makes it worse.
What is the part of the brain that controls our Fight, Flight or Freeze response called?
the amygdala