Anxiety Resources

Fifth Grade Families,

The following are resources/language that were made available to me when recently taking a professional development course about anxiety in the classroom with anxiety education expert Jill Quickel. After seeing how helpful they've been in the classroom and in my extra-curricular teaching opportunities outside of the classroom, I wanted them to make them available to you so you can continue to use this language with any anxiety presenting at home, and learn more as well. All credit for these resources goes to Jill. I hope they help you as much as they've been helping me. If you have any questions, please let me know!

Best,

Mrs. Hall

Helpful Tips

and language

Waves are:

Distractions
Challenges
Uncomfortability (thoughts or physical sensations)
Feeling out of control

Surfing practice:

Recognize when you and your students have “surfed a wave”
Create curiosity for new “surfing techniques”
Think "Growth Mindset"
Share “surfing stories” as a family. Let your child they are not alone in their anxious feelings.

Things to notice:

How does your body feel when it is anxious?
What do you believe about yourself when anxiety shows up?
What are your behaviors when anxiety shows up?

*Anxiety tends to make us feel shame. Notice any judgment and put it to the side. We don’t need it. Compassionate awareness is what works and what we deserve.

When the anxiety is becoming overwhelming:

"Your Guard Dog is barking really loud right now, isn't it?"
Is your guard dog afraid of this wave? I know it can be very scary and overwhelming, but we can swim through this.
Remember, dogs can swim.
Celebrate swimming over or through that wave. It was hard, but we can do hard things. We can do it together. You can do this.
You are not your anxiety. Your anxiety is not you. It is just your brain's guard dog being too loud right now. We can work together and calm your brain enough to have your guard dog surf that wave.
There is nothing wrong with you or your anxious feelings. They do not need to be "fixed". Hard feelings are normal and okay. They will pass with time and practice.

Help to surfing the wave:

Brain: I noticed my brain ruminating on this familiar script (anxiety PROCESS). I know it will do this over and over.
Belief: I believe that my values are more important than my anxiety at this time. My anxiety isn’t helping me or my daughter in this moment.
Body: I used mindfulness. I felt my feet on the floor, my hands on the steering wheel, relaxed my shoulders in the moment.
Behavior: I knew I was going to feel uncomfortable AND I can still enjoy some smooth yacht rock on my ride to the grocery store.

More helpful tips:

Declarative Language/Non-Judgment
Imagery
Create Opportunities for Stillness
Practice Mindfulness (All of these approaches fall under mindfulness, too).
Teach and Practice Body Awareness
Breath Awareness
Connect Breath to Movement
Do What You Are Doing
Stop, Drop and Roll
Meditation
Recognize when the hard feelings have passed and celebrate!

More helpful language to use:

Notice your breath in, Notice your breath out
Hi _________ (name emotion), there’s room for you.
You really surfed that wave!
Let’s slow motion write our name.
Look at how that feeling changed!
Let’s do what we are doing.
Where do you feel worry? In your belly?
What color is that feeling?
Notice your feet on the floor.
Notice your forehead soften.
Notice how your jaw can unclench.
What pasta is your body right now?
Is your breath cool as you breath in? Warm as you breathe out?
Feel your legs like jello. Relax into your chair.
It’s okay for things to be hard.

Look! There is your wise owl!
I know it is hard to not know an answer right away.
That’s so hard. I hear you.
It’s okay not to know.
I am here.
How can I support you surfing this wave?
“Ugh. I knew my anxiety response would show up for this. That’s okay.” (Modeling a mistake.)
I wonder what your guard dog’s comfy bed looks like?
Your guard dog thinks you need them right now. Are we in danger?
We can just let that feeling hang out. Nothing we need to do about it. It will pass as things always do. Remember the weather yesterday?
I’m on your side.