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Coping with Anxiety Module

Site: Personal Strategyz
Course: Personal Strategyz: Coping with Anxiety
Book: Coping with Anxiety Module
Printed by: Guest user
Date: Monday, 29 April 2024, 10:49 PM

Description

Welcome to Coping with Anxiety. Personal Strategyz


Table of contents

Introduction

What Works For You

With Personal Strategyz you are in control.

Learn how to utilize simple strategies to overcome personal challenges in your daily life.

Disclaimer

The contents of the Personal Strategyz courses, such as text, graphics, images, and other material contained on the Personal Strategyz Moodle courses ("content") are for informational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your mental health professional or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding your condition. Never disregard professional advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on Personal Strategyz courses.

"This is not a treatment for a diagnosis. This is an awareness training, because that is all we can do is provide awareness to people so that we can work on their stuff. We cannot take the role of the therapist."


-Manop Edward Jennings


Welcome

Welcome to the introduction and home page of coping with anxiety. Your learning journey will introduce you to strategies for coping with anxiety. 

Instructor's message:




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Anxiety Definition


What is anxiety? Personal Strategyz




What is anxiety? Let's take a look at how anxiety is defined.

  • A feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome.
  • In Psychiatry- Anxiety is a nervous disorder characterized by a state of excessive uneasiness and apprehension, typically with compulsive behavior or panic attacks
  • Some examples of anxiety disorders include panic attacks, obsessive-compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.


Definition of anxiety

Oxford Dictionary states the following:

[uncountable] anxiety (about/over something)  the state of feeling nervous or worried that something bad is going to happen

acute/intense/deep anxiety

Some hospital patients experience high levels of anxiety.

Waiting for exam results is a time of great anxiety.


[countable] a worry or fear about something

If you're worried about your health, share your anxieties with your doctor.


[uncountable] a strong feeling of wanting to do something or of wanting something to happen

anxiety to do something the candidate's anxiety to win the vote

anxiety for something the people's anxiety for the war to end


Merriam-Webster Dictionary states the following:

A (1): apprehensive uneasiness or nervousness usually over an impending or anticipated ill : a state of being anxious

More Buddhist uprisings in South Vietnam in the spring of 1966 intensified my anxiety.

— Robert S. McNamara


I felt my anxiety rise as we pressed deeper underground.

— Jon Krakauer


   (2) medical : an abnormal and overwhelming sense of apprehension and fear often marked by physical signs (such as tension, sweating, and increased  pulse rate), by doubt concerning the reality and nature of the threat, and by self-doubt about one's capacity to cope with it


B: mentally distressing concern or interest

Yet the pace of a child's progress can also be a source of anxiety for mothers and fathers.

— Susan Ochshorn

C:  a strong desire sometimes mixed with doubt, fear, or uneasiness

… his anxiety to succeed and his continued nervousness over the possible bankruptcy of his shoe company caused her to lecture him about relaxing and caring for his health.

— William Drake


Think about these questions and what anxiety means.

    • Where does it stem from?
    • Does it stop you from doing daily life activities?
    • Do you know anyone else that struggles with anxiety?








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Anxiety Strategies


What is anxiety? Personal Strategyz




What are some strategies we can use for coping with anxiety? We will look into two areas, preventative and in the moment.





Preventative Strategies

Get Enough Sleep 
Image of girl sleeping



Get Enough Exercise 
Image of women running



Eat Healthy Foods 
Veggie Bowl



Limit Alcohol and/or Drug Use
 
Image of a shot of alcohol being poured into a glass.


Practice Meditation. Do Yoga - etc. 
Image of person in a stretched yoga position.



Follow your doctor's prescription orders. Take your medication. 
Image of medication (pills).



Follow your therapy plans. 
Images representing a circular-continuous process and of a therapy session between two people.



Think about the preventative strategies you just read. Consider which of the strategies, listed above, have you used. Then spend some time to consider other strategies not listed, which you have used in the past. After you have spent some time thinking about "your strategies" write them down.



Fill in your Preventative Strategies Worksheet



In The Moment Strategies




We will now look at our "In The Moment Strategies ". We will break our "in the moment strategies into two groupings: Internal/Mental and External/Physical.


Iceberg Analogy



Image of an Iceberg


In The Moment Strategies:
Internal/Mental

Iceberg Bottom Section Defined:

"The section under water, that's hidden, are the internal strategies. These are the strategies that we do in our minds and in our thoughts. So, let's take a look at all these strategies together."

Counting - Forwards or Backwards. 
NoImageAvailable



Visualize - Think of a place that is calming and or relaxing - Like your favorite season of the year. 

Seasonal Flowers



Visualize Someone You Care About and Remember How They Make You Feel.
 
image of a couple holding each other



Use Positive Self-Talk - Words of Encouragement
 
Positive Self Talk: Chat bubble with the words: "you got this".


Meditate - etc. 
Meditate



Think about the strategies you just read. Consider which of the strategies, listed above, have you used. Then spend some time to consider other strategies not listed, which you have used in the past. After you have spent some time thinking about "your strategies" write them down.



Fill in your In-The-Moment Strategies Worksheet



In The Moment Strategies:
External/Physical

Iceberg Top Section Defined:


"The strategies used in the upper part of the iceberg, the external section is the physical stuff. Things that we can see or do."


Take Deep Breathes 
Animation of a person breathing in and out through nose while using diaphragm to control the breathing.



Squeeze a Stress Ball

or

Pump Your Fists 
Animation of a hand squeezing a stressball.



Take a Walk
 
Shoes Walking



Listen to Relaxing Music
 
Woman Listening To Music


Walk on the Grass With Bare Feet 
Feet Walking On Grass



Touch Something Cold 
Touching Water with Hand



Wash Hands With Cold Water 
Washing Hands



Think about the strategies you just read. Consider which of the strategies, listed above, have you used. Then spend some time to consider other strategies not listed, which you have used in the past. After you have spent some time thinking about "your strategies" write them down.



Fill in your External - In The Moment Strategies Worksheet



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Practice

Practice what works for you Anxiety Personal Strategyz


The more often you practice strategies, which work for you, the more effective and easier your experiences will become.




When we practice our coping strategies, we are managing our thinking. We do this by focusing on our coping strategy to rebalance our thoughts with “realistic thinking”. This means we look at ourselves, others around us, and the world around us without being overly negative or positive. As with any other skill, the more these strategies are practiced, the quicker they will work and the more effective these strategies will be. 



Your instructor will discuss with you options as you review various situations.


Planning and Practice


Decrease your stress and anxiety by planning for situations ahead.


Things to do with your instructor.


Selecting your strategies.

Have a dialog with your instructor and work through the process of what works for you, as you select Preventative Strategies, Internal Strategies, and External Strategies. Then discuss any other strategies, you may have written down in your personal worksheets, during this course.



Discuss Situations.

Discuss your strategies for various situations, such as:

    • School
    • Within your community
    • Personal Situations

[ [VIDEO: To Be Added] ]


Fill in your Personal Situations Worksheet


Practice Selecting Your Preventative Strategies

In this exercise, you will grab any of the strategies you want to try out. There is no correct answer, except what works for you. Click here to open the interactive exercise. 


Link to strategy selection application.

Discuss Additional Options.

There are multiple options and strategies to use as tools attached to your tool belt. It is important that you select the tools which work for you best. Don't pick a strategy because it sounds "cool". Pick what works for you.



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Review and Evaluation


Review and Evaluation Anxiety Personal Strategyz

     Congratulations, you have reached the last chapter of this module. 


Watch this video:




Review of Preventative Strategies

    • Get Enough Sleep

    • Get Enough Exercise

    • Eat Healthy Foods

    • Limit Alcohol and or Drug Use

    • Practice Meditation. Do Yoga -etc.

    • Follow Your Doctor's Prescription Orders.

    • Follow Your Therapy Plans.

    • Review Preventative strategies

Review of In The Moment Strategies: Internal

    • Counting - Forwards or Backwards

    • Visualize a Calming and Relaxing Place or Your Favorite Season of the Year.

    • Visualize Someone You Care About and Remember How They Make You Feel.

    • Use Positive Self-Talk - Words of Encouragement

    • Meditate - etc.


Review of In The Moment Strategies: External

    • Take Deep Breathes

    • Squeeze a Stress Ball or Pump Your Fists

    • Take a Walk

    • Listen to Relaxing Music

    • Walk on the Grass With Bare Feet

    • Touch Something Cold

    • Wash Hands With Cold Water


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