Definitions
What is a "body clue" and give an example.
A body clue is a hint our body gives us that we are experiencing a certain emotion (e.g., our hearts may beat fast when we feel scared).
Fill in the blank:
Although you may sometimes feel like your emotions come out of nowhere, the is always a ______ that causes them.
Trigger (thought, memory, situation, event, comment)
What is an example of a safety behavior that we would want to resist during an exposure?
Seeking reassurance from parent
Avoiding
What is the "detective thinking" skill?
Detective thinking helps us think about the situation, our thinking traps, and what else might be true.
STOP: before we enter a situation that makes us feel the strong emotion
SLOW: slowly, calmly, and carefully look for clues
GO: ask yourself again
What is one example of a "detective question" you can ask when trying to get out of a "thinking trap"?
Am I 100% sure ___ will happen?
What evidence do I have for this thought?
If what I'm thinking really did happened, could I cope with it?
What happened in the past in this situation?
What are "snap judgments" and "thinking traps"?
Snap judgments- the first thought you have in a situation
Thinking traps- thoughts that make us feel anxious, down, or angry (e.g., Psychic Suki, Jumping Jack, Disaster Darrell, Negative Nina)
What are the 3 parts of an emotion?
Thoughts, body clues (i.e., physical sensations), & behaviors
What are some examples of "sensational exposures?"
Get dizzy, hold your breath, hyperventilate, spin, do intense exercise, get disoriented
What is the "Disaster Darrell (thinking the worst)" thinking trap? Give an example.
Thinking that the worst possible outcome is going to happen.
E.g., I am going to fail my test. There's no way I might pass. Then my parents will take away my video games forever.
Name at least 3 activities we can use to do "opposite action" when feeling down or bored.
Doing arts and crafts
Dancing
Playing a sport
Reading a book
Baking
What is the "acting opposite" skill?
Noticing what an emotion wants you to do and acting in a different or opposite way.
What is the term for "the thing our emotion is telling us to do"? In other words, the thing our emotions make us want to do?
Emotional behaviors
What are three skills can you use during an exposure?
(bonus for everyone: write down on a piece of paper what you think the most important skill is during exposures)
Body scanning
Present-moment awareness
Acting opposites
Identifying thinking traps
Detective thinking
Problem solving
Most important: acting opposites!
What is the "Psychic Suki (mind reading)" thinking trap? Give an example.
Thinking that you know what other people are thinking or feeling.
E.g., My friend hasn't spoken to me today, so she must hate me.
How do we practice "present-moment awareness" or "mindfulness"?
Notice it: wordlessly notice your environment and emotional experiences
Say something about it: label the details of your experience our loud or to yourself
Experience it: use all of your senses to fully experience the moment without distractions
What is the "present-moment awareness" skill?
Noticing what is happening right here and now (i.e., not getting stuck thinking about the past or the future).
Identify the trigger, thoughts, body clues, and behavior in the following example:
It's Thursday and you have to get flu shot on Monday. You feel a bit worried and your anxiety begins to build. You start thinking about it even more over the weekend, and the more you think about it, you start to feel nauseated. You worry that it will hurt a lot. On your way to the doctor, you try to distract your mom so that you will miss the appointment.
Trigger- have to get a flu shot
Thoughts- worrying/thinking about over weekend, thinking it will hurt
Body clues- nauseated
Behavior- distracting mom
Give at least 3 examples of exposures for anxiety/worry.
Going to a social event you usually avoid
Asking for help
Breaking a rule
Making a mistake
Being the center of attention
What is the "Negative Nina (ignoring the positive)" thinking trap? Give an example.
Thinking about only the negative parts of a situation.
E.g., I couldn't spell one of these five words correctly, so I'm a total failure.
How do we do the "problem solving" skill?
1. Define the problem
2. Brainstorm solutions
3. List the pros and cons for each solution
4. Try it out
5. How did it work?
6. If my first choice didn't work, try another solution
What are the 3 things we learn about emotions?
Emotions are:
1. Normal
2. Natural
3. Not harmful
List at least 3 emotional behaviors that someone might want to do when they feel angry.
List at least 3 emotional behaviors that someone might want to do when they feel sad.
Yelling/screaming, swearing, shoving, hitting, slamming doors
Spending time alone, getting quiet, talking negatively about yourself
Explain how avoidance keeps feelings like anxiety, sadness, or anger going over time.
Because we learn that avoiding uncomfortable situations makes us feel better quickly, we may keep doing that over and over again. The problem with avoidance is that we never learn that situations or emotions are not actually harmful and will pass on their own. We also don't learn that we can experience strong emotions and tough situations but still get through them.
What is the "Should Shelly" thinking trap? Give an example.
Thinking you or someone else should or shouldn't have done something differently.
E.g., I should have studied harder for this test.
Name the most helpful thing you learned in this group!
:)