1. The Anxiety Cycle
And
How to Break It!

2. Anxiety
Anxiety is the fear of anticipated events:

3. Legitimate Anxiety
You can be legitimately anxious because of normal fears or you can be anxious because you have not prepared accordingly.
…But I don’t want to have a bath!
I just want to say, I really don’t like needles…

4. Negative Anxiety
Occurs when you continue to be anxious after the stimuli is over or gone and no longer provides a genuine threat to your well being. It is generally an exaggerated disposition stemming from a lack of control or fear of the unknown.

5. Addressing Anxiety
To address our physical symptoms of anxiety there are two primary techniques we can use: Focused Breathing – optimizing oxygen intake to focus the mind and re-oxygenate your blood reenergizing you. E.g. Concentrating on Breathing Body Check – recognizing how your body is reacting in the moment. Focus on relaxing your body by mindfully concentrating on it. E.g. The snowman exercise

6. Cognitive Techniques
We can also focus on what is going on in our minds to reduce anxiety:
Identifying and avoiding negative self-talk
Challenging and rephrasing negative thoughts

7. Late President of the Bi-Lo Stores
Cognitive Techniques
Step 1: Pay attention to your self-talk
“Watch your thoughts, they become words; watch your words, they become actions; watch your actions, they become habits; watch your habits, they become character; watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.”
FRANK OUTLAW
Late President of the Bi-Lo Stores

8. Self-Talk
Self-talk is the internal talking you do to yourself as you go through everyday experiences
“Oh I shouldn’t have said Mr. Williams’ assignment was stupid”
“I can do this...I have studied
hard and I know my stuff”
Can you list other examples....

9. Thinking Traps
Step 2: Identify thoughts which lead to anxiety (often categorized as Thinking Traps).
Thinking traps are overly unfair or negative
ways of seeing things. Review the thinking
traps on the handout. Identify which ones you
commonly fall victim to).
See handout for examples of thinking traps.

10. Negative Thoughts
Step 3: Challenge negative thinking and rephrase thoughts positively
If you notice yourself becoming anxious, ask
yourself the following questions:
Am I falling into a thinking trap?
What is the evidence that this thought
is true?
Is _______________really so important
that my future depends upon it?
Am I 100% sure that _____________________will happen?

11. Challenge your way Free
If you have fallen into a thinking trap, challenge your way out of it...
Am I falling into a thinking trap? Yes I am. Fortune telling psyches me out before a test. I am worried about failing but that does not mean I am going to fail.
See the handout and complete a realistic thinking chart until you can complete the process it takes you through, in your head.