Navigating Anxiety for Student Well-Being

Navigating Anxiety for Students Well-being

Anxiety 101

A resource to support students who struggle with anxiety

Ginger Costa

Up until June of 2024, I was teaching at the same middle school in Anne Arundel County, Maryland for 16 years. My time there was spent mostly in 8th grade but I also taught about six years between 6th and 7th grade. Although I am certified in all four content areas, Math and Social Studies were my areas of focus. I left that school at the end of the 2023-24 school year, as my husband and I relocated to a different state. I hope to continue my teaching career by or before the 2025-26 school year.

Explanation of CBT and ET

Table of Contents

Anxiety & the brain

Types of Anxiety

Responses to signs of anxiety

Physical Symtoms

Nervous vs. Anxiety

Behaviors manifested from anxiety

Symtoms of anxiety

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Reduce the Stigma

5 Additional Strategies

How to speak to someone with anxiety

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Social media's role in anxiety & mental health

Anxiety and the brain

Anxiety emanates from an imbalance in the regulation of various brain regions. While the amygdala may trigger excessive fear, the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex are typically responsible for minimizing the intensity of the response. Dysfunction in this system can lead to the heightened and continuous anxiety that characterizes anxiety disorders. While each of the regions plays a specific role in the processing and regulation of emotional and stress responses, it is the amygdala that is often referred to as the brain's "fear center." It is essential for detecting threats and triggering emotional responses, especially fear and anxiety. When the amygdala perceives a threat, it activates a series of responses that can lead to heightened anxiety.

Types of Anxiety

Social Anxiety

Separation Anxiety

Generalized Anxiety

Social anxiety disorder is one of the most common types of anxiety disorders, characterized by intense fear and avoidance of social situations where a person fears being judged, embarrassed, or humiliated. This condition can significantly impact a person's daily life, making even routine activities feel overwhelming.

.Separation anxiety is often common, in young children, but it can become concerning if it becomes too excessive or ongoing. When the anxiety is excessive or persists beyond the expected age, it may qualify as Separation Anxiety Disorder. In these cases, the fear can cause significant distress and interfere with daily activities such as school attendance, social interactions, or other daily routines.

Generalized anxiety in children, a common issue that can significantly impact their daily lives and well-being. Some key points about children with generalized anxiety are that along with worring about a variety of everyday things, they worry particularly about school performance and perfectionism.

Suggestions to help families when a child is experiencing Anxiety

When a child is experiencing anxiety, families can support them by: openly discussing feelings, validating their worries, teaching coping mechanisms like deep breathing exercises, gradually exposing them to anxieties in a controlled manner, maintaining a consistent routine, seeking professional help if needed, and ensuring a positive and supportive home environment; while avoiding excessive reassurance or enabling behaviors that might reinforce anxiety.

"Many well-meaning parents try to protect anxious kids from their fears, but overprotecting can actually make anxiety worse." (Grace Berman, LCSW)

Don’t ignore it, talk to your kids!

Discussing Anxiety

anxiety hurts!! there are a plethora of physical symptoms associated with anxiety

Headaches

Trouble Sleeping

Light-Headed or Dizzy

"Physical symptoms are related to the fight-or-flight response triggered when the brain detects danger. It's important to understand that kids aren't necessarily inventing their symptoms, and the danger may feel very real to them." - Janine Domingues, PhD

Shortness of Breath

Upset Stomach

Anxiety, on the other hand, is something you deal with on an ongoing basis. You live your life in a constant state of dread, and you struggle to calm yourself. In addition to the physical symptoms, the suffocating feeling of dread accompanying anxiety disorders can even compel you to avoid places or situations that incite these uncomfortable symptoms. These feelings and negative coping behaviors eventually begin to interfere with your day-to-day life.

Nervousness is a completely natural and common response to stressful situations. It usually occurs when you face a new or important challenge, such as taking an exam or giving a presentation to a room full of people. In fact, a small amount of nervousness can actually help sharpen your focus and improve your performance in stressful situations. And the best part is that nervousness tends to fade away once the event is over, and with time and experience, we often get better at handling it. The more you push through those nerves, the more resilient and confident you can become!

Nerves vs. anxiety

REMEMBER - behavior challenges may be manifested from anxiety and should be considered symptoms of anxiety to watch for in students.

Behavior challenges may be a manifestation of anxiety (Don't be to quick to judge!)

Disruptive Behavior - acting out often misinterpreted as ADHD or aggressive behavior.

Not Turning In Homework - may not have done it but may also be the fear that it wasn't done correctly.

Inattention - not focused on the lesson but actually worried thoughts overtaking them.

Won't Answer Questions - when called on, not always because they don't know the answer, but rather get so anxious they freeze.

Attendance Problems - a fairly common problem for students with anxiety. It may look like truancy but for many students school is a major source of anxiety.

Avoiding Socializing or Group Work - terrified of making mistakes or being judged causes some students tremendous anxiety.

In order to help reduce stigma around anxiety in schools, teachers and counselors should: openly discussed mental health with all students, educate all students about anxiety as a medical condition, create a supportive and safe classroom environment, provide lessons on and encourage empathy, implement coping mechanisms (some to be utilized by specific students but others that all can use and benefit from), and actively address negative comments or stereotypes; it is imperative for students to feel comfortable seeking help when needed.

Social media's role in anxiety & mental health of today''s teens

95%

ages 13 to 17 use social media, with 1 in 3 reporting that thet use it "almost constantly."

Social Media’s Role in Anxiety and Mental Health

A grow­ing body of evi­dence strong­ly links heavy social media use among teenagers to a num­ber of neg­a­tive outcomes.

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CBT focuses on identifying and changing the pattern of negative thoughts in order to improve emotional and behavioral well-being.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) & Exposure Therapy (ET)

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Exposure Therapy (ET), are both widely used treatments for anxiety..

Exposure therapy is a psychological treatment. It was developed to help people confront their fears. When a person is fearful of something, they tend to avoid the activity, situation or object. Avoidance may help reduce the feelings of fear for the short term, however, it can make the fear become even worse in the long term. The idea behind (ET) is to break the pattern of avoidance and fear. ’

Although CBT and ET should be left to professionals, elements of CBT can be used in our daily lives through the CBT Triangle:

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Additional Strategies that I found to be helpful!

Additional Strategies that I found to be helpful!

DON’T stop learning about & implementing strategies to help our students cope with mental illness.

Sensory Center within the classroom

Identify a quiet place (e.g., a restroom, hallway, or nurse’s office) where a student can go if they feel overwhelmed

Make relaxation skills part of your classroom routine — this can be as simple as inviting students to take a few calm, slow breaths

Let students know in advance, if possible, that they will be asked a question in class

“It’s nice to look back on your life and see things as lessons and not regrets.” - Rihanna

With anxiety on the rise at an alarming rate, we need to be prepared to give them all the help and support that we, as educators, can.

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https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qEh48ZceldjQCixMkByCnktA11HNaDVkU7uZiTiKi-w/edit?usp=sharing

Work Cited