Health & Wellness Lesson 1 Version B

Coping with Anxiety, Stress, & Worries Version B

KAYAC

Health & Wellness Series

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Welcome to the Health & Wellness Series!

We all experience anxiety at some point in our lives. While it can actually motivate us to get things done or keep us safe from potential dangers, it can sometimes make it tough to enjoy the activities we love.

Coping with Anxiety, Stress, & Worries

What will we talk about in today's lesson?

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• Finally, we will practice a relaxation strategy.

• Next, we'll learn about helpful coping skills for managing anxiety.

• Next we'll talk about how anxiety may impact your energy level, pain, and thinking skills.

• First, we'll talk about what "anxiety" really meants and how it can feel in your body and mind.

When you're anxious or stressed out, what does it feel like? What do you notice in your body? What thoughts come up? What or who helps you feel better?

Let's reflect.

Managing Anxiety, Stress, & Worries

"For coping with anxiety and stress, taking a few deep breaths goes a long way for me. I'll catch myself worrying about the future, or how I'm going to keep going. I'll stop myself, take a few deep breaths, and remind myself to just take it one day at a time. I've made it through every challenge I've faced so far, so why shouldn't I be prepared to face future challenges when they come my way? I've also worked very hard on relaxation techniques and breathing exercises. Stress and anxiety manifest themselves physically within us. I tend to get a knot in my stomach, so taking time to intentionally relax and loosen that knot helps me feel better both physically and mentally. Some peaceful music and 5 minutes of deep breathing can go a long way."

Eli Hiskey, Spinal Cord Injury Peer Mentor

How does anxiety feel in your body?

How does anxiety feel in your mind?

• Fear that something bad will happen.
• Thoughts or worries you can’t control.
• Getting stuck on the “worst case scenario.”

• Muscles tight/tense
• Heart beating fast
• Sweating
• Feeling sick to your stomach
• Feeling lightheaded or disconnected from your body

Anxiety, Stress, & Worry

2. I'd be super relaxed. I might even take a nap.

1. My heart would be racing, my muscles would tense up, and I'd be breathing super fast! I might even feel sick to my stomach.

...and a tiger walks in. How would your body feel?

Seriously??? This is a tiger we're talking about!

Yes! When something scary happens, it triggers our body's alarm system. We may fight back, try to get away, or freeze

Imagine you're sitting in class...

Fight, Flight, or Freeze.

I'd be thinking about what I'd like to have for lunch.

Option 2

I'd be scared it might hurt me!

What would be going through your head if a tiger walked into the room?

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Click the button below each option to learn more.

Option 1

Fight, Flight, or Freeze

Anxiety is a common challenge after a traumatic event, such as a spinal cord injury (SCI), acquired brain injury (ABI), or critical illness. Understanding and addressing these feelings helps mental wellbeing and recovery.

Anxiety & Medical Conditions

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Info

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Anxiety After Major Injury or Illness

Anxiety after critical illness.

Anxiety after brain injury.

Anxiety after spinal cord injury.

Sometimes we avoid the things that make us anxious or use drugs or alcohol to avoid anxious feelings. While this may “feel better” in the moment, it can cause bigger problems in the long run. Luckily, there are many anxiety management strategies that don’t have “side effects.” Click each strategy on the left to learn more.

Avoidance

How do we respond to anxiety?

Coping with Anxiety, Stress, & Worry

Guided Imagery

Grounding

Meditation

Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Breathing

Distraction

After the exercise, rate your anxiety again between 1 and 10, where "1" means "no anxiety" and "10" means "the most anxiety."

Before we start, take a moment to rate your anxiety level right now. You can give it a number between 1 and 10, where "1" means "no anxiety" and "10" means "the most anxiety."

The audio below will lead you through a relaxation breathing and body scan exercise. Before we begin, find a comfortable position. If you're in a power wheelchair, you may want to tilt back into a weight shift. During this exercise, you will be encouraged to take slow, easy breaths. You can breathe through your mouth or your nose -- whatever feels most comfortable! If at any point you feel lightheaded, just breathe at your typical pace.

Let's Practice!

Put a sticky note somewhere you'll see it every day.

Notes

You might be wondering "how can I fit these skills into my day?" or "what can help me remember to practice?" Here are some ideas that might help:

It’s ordered, hierarchical, and structured.

Advice 6

Set a reminder alarm on your phone.

Reminders

Try a relaxation exercise for just 5 minutes a day.

Start Small

Tips and Tricks

Let's Review!

Let's Review!

Check out this video about anxiety after injury created in collaboration with the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation.

Anxiety & Fear

There are many phone apps, videos, podcasts, and handouts available online if you search for any of the strategies we've discussed. Check out some popular options below! Please note: None of these resources are affiliated with Shepherd Center.

Need more resources?

Click me for more resources!

Want to learn more?

Congratulate yourself on taking time to take care of you. Remember, learning any new strategy takes time and practice. Practicing any of the strategies we've learned today (especially when you're not stressed) will give you a better sense of control when you are stressed.

This concludes our lesson on managing anxiety & stress.

Thank you!

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Anxiety After Brain Injury

Did you know that feeling anxious is pretty common after a traumatic brain injury (TBI)? Sometimes, anxiety can get a bit tougher to handle because of the cognitive and emotional changes that often come with TBI. But don’t worry! There are many ways to manage anxiety.

For teenagers and young adults, adulthood is an exciting journey filled with new opportunities, but it can also come with its fair share of stress and changes. The uncertainties that follow a major injury or illness can amplify feelings of anxiety and stress, making them seem overwhelming. The great news is that there are plenty of strategies and resources out there to help you manage anxiety and feel better!

Anxiety & Your Mind

Anxiety can be very distracting!

When you're anxious or stressed or worried, it's hard to focus on anything else. If anxiety gets in the way of you paying attention, it's really hard to learn or remember new things. Managing anxiety can free up mental space to pay attention, keep your focus, and in turn remember important information.

How can anxiety affect your health?

Anxiety can disrupt sleep, zap your energy, worsen your pain, and put extra stress on your body.

Have you ever been so looking forward to going to sleep, but once the lights are out, the TV is off, and your phone is away, your brain decides to remind you of the 400 stressful things on your to-do list? Or replay that one awkward conversation you had on a loop? Or make you think about a scary memory you've been trying hard to avoid? If you said "yes," you're in good company! It's like the volume is turned way up on those thoughts once the distractions of the day are gone.

If you break your arm, it sounds an alarm for your brain signaling "hey- pay attention to your arm! It's in trouble!" This is helpful because it lets you know you need to protect your arm. However, sometimes the more we focus on pain, the "louder" the pain gets. This can be really stressful. The more stressed you feel, the more you tense up, which actually makes pain worse. Fortunately, strategies for managing anxiety can also help calm down your response to pain.

• Start by thinking of a place you find relaxing. Next, imagine what you would see, hear, smell, taste, and feel there.
• Click the link on the image to try a guided imagery exercise.

Guided Imagery

Guided imagery is when you imagine a peaceful place to give yourself a mental vacation. The key is to use all your senses to make the place come alive in your mind.

Headspace

Support

Talk to a friend. Seek support from a trusted adult in your community. Reach out for peer support. Look for a mental health provider psychologytoday.org

Podcasts

The Mindful Minute Peace Out Relaxation Stories for Kids Calm Pills

Apps

Calm

Anxiety After Critical Illness

Feeling anxious after a critical illness is common and understandable. It's normal to experience fear, uncertainty, and vulnerability after a life-threatening event. You may worry about your health or future medical issues. Open communication with healthcare providers can significantly aid your recovery journey!

Meditation

Rather than getting stuck worrying about the past or future, observing the present moment can calm our minds.

Lunch, huh?

Lunch, huh?

You and the tiger would be on the same page...

• There are many breathing exercises that can help with relaxation.
• Some examples include square breathing, diaphragmatic breathing, and pursed lip breathing.

Click here to learn more about breathing exercises!

How can breathing help?

When we're scared or tense, we take short, quick breaths. Sometimes we might breathe so fast we hyperventilate. Slowing down our breathing can send a signal to our brain that everything is OK and calms our bodies.

Anxiety After Spinal Cord Injury

Did you know that around 15% to 32% of adult spinal cord injury (SCI) survivors experience some anxiety? It's completely understandable! After such a life-changing event, it's natural to feel anxious about what happened and to worry about potential complications. Luckily, there are ways to find support and manage those feelings.

• What's a healthy distraction for you?

How can distraction help?

Focusing on stressful things makes us more anxious. Distraction through playing games, listening to music, TV, breathing, & talking to friends can relieve anxiety.

Grounding

Grounding exercises can help center you in the present moment.

This course is part of the Keeping Adolescents and Young Adults Connected (KAYAC) program at Shepherd Center. It's all about providing health and wellness information, strategies, and resources specifically for young survivors of spinal cord or brain injuries. We're happy you're here, taking the time to learn and take care of yourself!

Welcome!

Health & Wellness Series

Of course you would!

Scary situations can make us worry or think the worst-case scenario will happen.

We often tense up our muscles when we're stressed, especially in our face and shoulders. Tensing and releasing muscles in our body gives us the tools to notice and let go of tension.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation

• Try this! Create tension in your face by scunching your eyes, wrinkling your eyebrows, and gently pressing your teeth together.
• Let that tension build for 5 seconds as you breathe in.
• Breathe out and let that tension go. Let your eyelinds and forehead smooth and your jaw hang loose.