Managing Anxiety And Stress Before Lgs & Lifelong

ANXIETY / WORRY  

An intense and uncontrollable feeling of worry and tension without a specific cause. **EXAM ANXIETY** is defined as a high level of anxiety that prevents the effective use of learned knowledge during the exam and leads to a decrease in performance.

Factors affecting the development of exam anxiety include: the meanings attributed to the exam, the mental imagery created about the exam, discussions about the post-exam situation, and the importance given to the achievements obtained after the exam. A visual representation may include typical emotional, cognitive, and behavioral patterns of an adolescent.

How to Reverse the Cycle?

– **When we learn to calm the nervous system, our emotions change.**  

– **When we replace our thoughts with positive ones.** 

– **When we change our behaviors.**  

To explain with a few different concepts:

**Inner Perception Intelligence**  

It develops through awareness. To foster this development, it is necessary to track perceptions. Practicing embodied conscious awareness needs to be repeated.

**Brain & Breath**  

– Mindful breathing affects the brain areas responsible for emotion, attention, and bodily awareness.  

– The “amygdala” is responsible for emotional memory and emotional responses in the brain.  

– When we breathe rapidly, there is intense activity in the amygdala. Rapid breathing can trigger fear, irritability, and tension. Slowing down our breath means reducing these reactions.  

– Mindful breathing is said to affect the insula, which is the part of the brain that governs the autonomic nervous system (sympathetic-parasympathetic system) and bodily awareness.

**EXERCISE 1**  

DIAPHRAGMATIC BREATHING 

5 minutes daily stimulates the vagus nerve, providing regulation for the central nervous system and digestive system.

**ALL OR NOTHING THINKING / BLACK & WHITE THINKING – THERE IS NO ROOM FOR GREY**  

– **IF I FAIL, IT WILL BE THE END OF THE WORLD FOR ME.**  

– **IF I SUCCEED, I MIGHT BE HAPPY, BUT…**  

– **IF I DON’T ACHIEVE WHAT I WANT, MY FUTURE IS RUINED.**

KEEP IN MIND

– **SUCCESS DOES NOT DEFINE ME.**  

– **THE EXAM DOES NOT REFLECT MY ENTIRE POTENTIAL.**  

– **I AM NOT JUST ABOUT SUCCESS.**  

– **I HAVE MANY OTHER SKILLS AND ABILITIES.**  

– **I WILL DO MY BEST.**  

– **I BELIEVE IN MYSELF.**

WHAT IS SUCCESS? 

IF SELF = SUCCESS, THEN ANXIETY IS INEVITABLE!  

SUCCESS IS A PROCESS!  

BE KIND TO YOURSELF!

There are three paths to ultimate success. The first path is to be kind, the second path is to be kind, and the third path is to be kind.  

— Mr. Roger

Self-Compassion

It can be defined as the ability to offer ourselves the compassion, understanding, kindness, and support we need during difficult times. It involves being aware of our feelings without judgment, criticism, or blame; accepting those feelings, and allowing ourselves to experience them.

EXERCISE 2 

Supportive/Soothing Touch Practice

One of the easiest ways to support ourselves during tough times is to provide a calming or soothing touch.

Hand on Heart

When you notice you are under stress, take 2-3 satisfying breaths.  

– Gently place your hand over your heart; feel the gentle pressure and warmth there. If you prefer, you can place both hands down at once.  

– Feel your chest rise and fall as you breathe.  

– Stay with this feeling and sensation for as long as you wish.

You can explore where a gentle touch feels soothing to your body. Here are a few possibilities:  

– Place one hand over your heart and the other on your abdomen.  

– Place both hands on your abdomen.  

– Place one hand on your cheek.  

– Cradle your face in your palms.  

– Gently stroke your arms.  

– Give yourself a hug.  

– Let one hand gently hold the other.

GENTLE TOUCH

If you notice resistance to self-soothing touches, explore other ways you can support and calm yourself. This might include taking a warm shower, sipping on something warm, or petting an animal.

CREATE OPTIONS 

1. Your main goal.  

2. Another option you desire.  

3. Your backup option.  

ACTION PLAN

Each day:  

– Breathing exercises  

– Stretching and relaxing techniques  

– Self-compassion  

– 20-minute walk outdoors  

– Reading 20 pages of a book  

– Staying hydrated  

– 10-minute warm shower  

– Listening to different music   

– Engaging in humor-focused regulation activities  

REGULATION CORNER 

The term “regulation” means to organize or adjust. Emotional regulation is our inner dialogue that allows us to say “stop, calm down,” and our actions that follow. The ability to regulate plays a critical role in helping us know how to calm ourselves under intense stress.

For the regulation corner:  

– Magnetic stress balls  

– Sandbags  

– Trampolines  

– Stress balls  

– Eye masks  

– Board games  

– Pilates balls  

– Cartoons  

For the regulation corner:  

– Plants  

– Art  

– Music  

– Mandala coloring  

– Crafts  

– Books  

– Candles  

Good News & Bad News 

ANXIETY IS CONTAGIOUS!  

HAPPINESS IS ALSO CONTAGIOUS!