ANXIETY SYMPTOMS INTERVENTION SESSION SESSION HANDOUTS. Learning to Solve a Problem. Macquarie University Anxiety Research Unit

Transcription

1 SESSION 7 ANXIETY SYMPTOMS INTERVENTION SESSION HANDOUTS Handut 7.1: Handut 7.2: Handut 7.3: Handut 7.4: When the Ging Gets Tugh Learning t Slve a Prblem Ding Steps My Thughts

2 HANDOUT 7.1 When the Ging Gets Tugh Facing fears is nt an easy thing t d. By nw, yu ve prbably had a cuple f practice times when things haven t gne as well as planned. Here are sme hints and tips abut what may be ging wrng if things aren t ging s well. Smetimes the fear is t much t handle r it s nt very hard at all. S remember t pick a fear that is hard, but desn t freak yu ut. Smetimes the step isn t very practical r it s is vague and yu re nt sure what yu are suppsed t be ding. S Remember t make the step clear and make it smething that can be practiced every day r every cuple f days. Smetimes we let ur anxius thughts carry us away and we dn t think realistically. S remember t read ver r cmplete a detective s evidence sheet befre attempting each step. Smetimes we get ut f a situatin s quickly that we dn t ever learn that the situatin is safe. S remember t stay in each situatin lng enugh fr yur wrry rating t cme dwn. Smetimes ur wrry ratings dn t g dwn the next time we try a step s we want t give up, but it s imprtant t remember that each step has t be dne ften enugh and smetimes lwer steps need t be re-practiced many times befre yu can d higher steps. Smetimes we frget where we are up t, s remember t fill in part f a Fighting Fear by Facing Fear frm every time yu practice. Smetimes we d a step but think it s n big deal, s remember that fighting fears is a big deal and yu shuld reward yurself every single time. Smetimes we mve t quickly because we are ding really well, but suddenly n the next step we get very scared. S remember g up a step nly when yu are either bred r nly a little bit scared. Smetimes when we d a step we are secretly using smething t distract urselves frm the fear like such as listening t a radi, but this means we never learn hw safe the situatin really is. S Remember, always face a fear full n and with n help. Smetimes we take smething alng that makes us feel better like a favrite teddy bear r a lucky charm, but later we think we were nly safe because we had that thing with us. S remember when facing fears, face them n yur wn s that yu knw that it was yu wh deserves the reward.

3 HANDOUT 7.1 (CONT.) When facing fears, difficulties are OK. Yu shuld expect that sme days will be gd days and it will be easy t face yur fears, but ther days will be tugh and even the easy steps will seem pretty difficult. Hwever it s als imprtant t keep in mind that we dn t expect yu t have n anxiety., The gal is t have anxiety yu can handle. S dn t give up, keep putting the strategies yu have learned int place. Think back t the steps that yu have tried ver the last cuple f weeks. Have yu had any f the prblems described abve? If s which nes? What will yu have t d this week t vercme these prblems? Ask yur parent(s) fr suggestins if yu are nt sure what t d. Write yur slutins here.

4 HANDOUT 7.2 Learning t Slve a Prblem Smetimes when we are facing ur fears we get stuck in a situatin, which we can t see a way ut f. We dn t knw hw t slve the prblem. One way f fixing situatins like this is t d a prblem-slving wrksheet. This wrksheet can help us t identify pssible slutins t the prblem and can help us t chse the best slutin. There are six steps t slving a prblem: 1. Wrk ut what the prblem is. 2. Make a chice that yu are ging t try t slve the prblem. 3. Brainstrm all the pssible ways yu culd slve the prblem, nt matter hw silly they seem. 4. G thrugh each idea and wrk ut what wuld happen if yu did that t slve the prblem. Wuld it lead t a gd utcme r a bad ne? 5. Select the idea r cmbine a cuple f ideas that will lead t the best utcme. 6. Carry ut that idea and then evaluate whether it was successful. If it wasn t, g back and try ne f the ther ideas that yu had r think f sme new slutins. Each time yu use a prblem -slving wrksheet, yu get better at cming up with ideas and each sheet can be used t help create ideas fr the next time yu face that prblem. The wrksheet t use fr prblem slving is n the next page.

5 HANDOUT 7.2 (CONT.) Prblem -Slving Wrksheet Step Outcmes Step 1: What is the prblem? Step 2: Are yu ging t d smething abut this prblem? Step 3: Brainstrm ideas fr slving this prblem. Slutin 1: Slutin 2: Slutin 3: Slutin 4: Slutin 5: Step 4: Fr each idea, ask yurself what wuld happen if yu did it.? Slutin 1: Slutin 2: Slutin 3: Slutin 4: Slutin 5: Step 5: Which idea is best? Which is secnd best? Step 6: Try the best idea and, see if it wrks., if nt try the secnd best idea.

6 HANDOUT 7.3 Ding Steps The imprtant thing nw is t keep wrking n yur stepladders and t keep practicing detective thinking. Yu shuld be practicing EVERY SINGLE DAY, and if yu can, mre than nce per day. Dn t frget t keep using yur detective thinking evidence sheets befre trying a step fr the first time r whenever yu find yurself getting very wrried r afraid. Yu can als start t use wrry surfing n wrries after yu have used detective thinking. Remember the key is t cncentrate n what yu are suppsed t be ding instead f thinking abut the wrry. Realistic Thinking Detective s Evidence Sheet Event What is happening? Thughts What am I thinking? What is the evidence? Wrry Rating: What are the facts? What else culd happen? What happened when I wrried befre? What is likely t happen? What has happened t ther peple? What is my realistic thught? Wrry Rating:

7 Event What is happening? Thughts What am I thinking? What is the evidence? What are the facts? What else culd happen? What happened when I wrried befre? What is likely t happen? What has happened t ther peple? What is my realistic thught? Realistic Thinking Detective s Evidence Sheet Wrry Rating: Wrry Rating:

8 HANDOUT 7.4 My Thughts On the left side, draw a picture f yurself in a situatin that makes yu nervus r scared, and write dwn the thughts yu have when yu are in this situatin. Then n the right side, draw anther picture f yurself in the same situatin, but nw using the ther thughts yu can have in the same situatin. T O OVERCOME!

9 Fighting Fear By Facing Fear What step will I d? When will I d it? What strategies will I use? Wrry Ratings What did I learn? Did I receive my reward? Tday: _ N Tday: _ N Tday: _ N Tday: _ N Tday: _ N