Emotions
James is going to play football, his favorite sport, in front of a large group of fans and parents. How might he feel?
Excited, confident, nervous, worried, stressed, happy, anxious
Jim is starting middle school and is feeling nervous the night before. His worry thoughts are "What if I don't have any of my friends in my classes?"
You are feeling anxious and you notice your breathing really quickly. It is making your chest tight and stomach hurt. What can you do to feel better?
Take deep breaths
Rate your worry level on a scale of 0 - 100 now. Has it gone up or down since (or stayed the same) you started therapy?
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What are some things that may make someone worried?
school tests or presentations
covid19
performing something in front of a large group
going somewhere new
Sarah's brother is sick, so she has to walk to school by herself. She feels worried and is thinking "What if someone tries to kidnap me?"
-A Helpful Thought-
You are nervous about walking to school, what can you do to help?
Talk to a parent
Schedule walking with a friend
Helpful thoughts
Imagine the route you take
When has worry been helpful?
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Name a time you felt frustrated and what you did to feel better
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Mark is feeling nervous about COVID19, he knows a family at school has gotten sick and is worried he or his family will get sick. What can he think to feel better?
-A Helpful Thought-
When frustrated at a sibling, what is a helpful thought you can tell yourself?
"It's not worth getting in trouble for"
"I can just walk away"
"I can get mom or dad if (s)he keeps bothering me"
What advice would you give someone your age who was struggling with feeling worried?
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Name a time you felt worried and what you did to feel better
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Name a worry thought you experienced, and a helpful thought that helped you feel better
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Mike has never liked the dark, but recently his worries have grown. He use to just need a night light, but now he needs 3 night lights, his ceiling light on, and the hallway light on. All the light makes it hard to fall asleep. How can Mike work on his worry about the dark and not need so many lights on?
Anxiety challenges
What is something that you now love doing, but the first time you felt nervous to try it?
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Explain why people get worried or anxious
Brain trying to keep us safe but working too hard
Worry wall metaphor
Smoke alarm metaphor
Name a worry thought you experienced, and 2 helpful thoughts that helped you feel better
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What is something you can do to help yourself feel better if you are feeling very angry?
Squeeze a stuffed animal
Run around outside
Take a break
Talk to a parent
Helpful thoughts
When you are a teenager, what is something you might feel nervous to try doing but you have always wanted to do?
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