Dealing with Anxiety in Adolescents Jacquelyn M. Trejo

The Modern Teen:

Anxiety/Stress Adolescents tend to worry excessively about performance on an assessment, college, and/or performance in sporting events. The focus of worry may shift from one concern to another. Adolescents find it difficult to keep worrisome thoughts from interfering with attention to tasks at hand and have difficulty stopping the worry.

The Modern Teenager – 7-8 th graders Academic Stress: Graduation Plans (Minimum, Recommended, or Distinguished) Distinguished Level of Achievement – 26 credits AP Exams (Low income – college credit) GPA – Competition Automatic college admission – Top 10% and under DAP Plan STAAR Exams – must pass to graduate Endorsement – must decide by end of 9 th grade (5 endorsements) 4

Social Stress Peer Pressure Unlimited access to the internet Bullying, social media Physical appearance Clothes, body shape Performance in Sports The Modern Teenager – 9 th grader

Common Negative Reactions Eating too much (stress eating) Upset stomach Irritability Headaches Worrying Blaming others Feeling fearful Reactions to Stress

Coping with stress Organizing & Prioritizing – decrease stress by understanding what is most important. Acceptance – Understand there are somethings you can’t control and that you need accept. Attitude – Having a positive attitude towards situations can decrease stress almost immediately. Time Management – Learning to manage your time and making an achievable “to do” list. Break up your tasks into small goals. Plan Fun time – Be sure that your “to do” list includes fun, relaxing activities. Reactions to Stress

Goals: Learn effective tools to manage high levels of stress from daily activities and learn techniques to prepare for overwhelming events. SocialAcademicHome life

1.Identify stressors. Intervention: “Before I step out of the room, my mind is flooded with __________” 2.Identify the affects anxiety has on your body and relationships Activity: Using the same sheet, students will write the name of the relationships that may be affected by the student’s constant worry (External). Students will then verbalize how one of the relationships is affected. Objectives & Interventions

3.Making a clear distinction of items/events of which outcomes are controlled by us and those that are not. Intervention: T-Chart – classify activities under control and no control 4.Creating a short term plan for dealing with anxiety Create a short term plan on each of the controllable items, events and/or activities previously discovered. Set short, attainable goals that correlate with this event. e.g. – “My weight” – I will add 20 mins of walking three times a week. e.g. – “My grades” – I will begin to come to tutoring, 2 times a week. Interventions & Activities

5.Implementation of plan and relaxing techniques. Celebrating weekly achievements – Students will monitor their progress weekly and be prepared to celebrate any attempt made to stick with each weekly goal. The student must express to the group how this has made them feel and explain where their level of anxiety is at (0-10 scale) in dealing with particular issues. Interventions & Activities