ANXIETY RESOURCES

Anxiety is a normal part of life. However, it is considered an Anxiety Disorder if it lasts more than 6 months, interferes with schoolwork, personal health, social interactions and daily living.

Anxiety Disorders

Generalized Anxiety Disorder- excessive worry and fear.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder- repetitive and unwanted intrusive thoughts (obsessive) and irrational excessive urges to do certain actions (compulsive).

Panic Attacks- sudden and intense periods of fear that can cause sweating, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, feeling out of control, etc.

Social Anxiety- more than shyness, intense fear of social interactions, irrational worries about humiliation.

Selective Mutism- fail to speak in social situations, extreme shyness, fear of embarrassment.

Informtation taken from NAMI and NIMH

Symptoms

Upset stomach
Avoiding school
Constant worry/stress
Hyperfocused on “perfection”
Migraines/headaches
Emotional outbursts
Avoiding socializing
A constant need for approval and reassurance
Withdrawal from hobbies
Meltdowns aka panic attacks

APPS

Breathe2Relax - This simple app is perfect for helping people practice deep breathing. It includes visuals that you can follow as you breathe. It also can be customized to the breathing pattern that you would like. The calming voices and imagery make this app perfect to use when working with students who are feeling upset or anxious.

Calm - #1 app for sleep, meditation, and relaxation. The app offers video lessons, music, masterclasses, calming scenes and free resources to go along with the app.

Colorfy - adult coloring pages on your phone.

Headspace- teaches you mindfulness meditation

Hello Mind -

Insight Timer - 65,000 free guided meditations and music

My Strength - app that has evidenced based techniques to help with anxiety, depression, substance abuse, chronic pain and sleep challenges.

Sanvello- app that has roots in CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) and is designed to support people with anxiety. It includes guided meditations, a daily mood tracker, and other activities and videos. It can be set to alert you daily so that you can check in and work through any anxiety you might be feeling. This is a great app to recommend for parents to help their children.

Smiling Mind - free app with daily meditation and mindfulness guides.

Stop, Breathe, and Meditate Meditation for kids, teens and adults. It’s like your personalized mindfulness coach.

Woebot - app that gives you the opportunity to talk through and process some of your feelings of anxiety and depression. The woebot, a computer coach, uses cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) practices to walk people through calming exercises, and can give them someone to talk to. Woebot can also check in on you daily to see how you are doing and give you support. This is a great app to recommend for parents to help their children, and actually has been supported by research.