Anxiety

OBJECTIVE

  • To learn what anxiety is and be able to identify symptoms of anxiety
  • To be well equipped to cope with anxiety symptoms in a positive way
  • To strengthen our faith in God's plan and to call for Him to provide you with His peace

INTRODUCTION - 5-10 Minutes

Warm-up discussion questions

  • What is anxiety? How do you know if you are anxious?
    • If struggling with responses, it is helpful to direct the youth to answer questions about others around them(i.e. What kind of things make your friends anxious? How would you know if your friend was struggling with anxiety)
  • What is the difference between normal worrying and problematic anxiety?

Context of discussion

When God created us, in His Image and Likeness, we were perfected in love. As such, there was no fear and no concern of the unknown or the uncertain. We existed in complete unity with God and our faith and love were perfected in Him.

Since the fall of man, fear entered the world and became a part of our fallen nature. We experience fear because we are not in 100% unity with God because like St. John says "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us". 1 John 4:18

That being said, it is not a sin to be fearful or to experience anxiety. It is, unfortunately, a consequence of the fall. But if we know that we experience this because of our separation from God, then we know we have to be joined with Him in order to be relieved of it.

HOLY SCRIPTURE

"Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? SO why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying 'What shall we eat? Or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." Matthew 6: 25-34

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us. 1 John 4:18

"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will upload you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41"10

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways submit to Him and He will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

CONTENT (KEY POINTS)

  • What to know
  • What to do

Define Anxiety: n. an emotion characterized by apprehension and somatic symptoms of tension in which an individual anticipates impending danger, catastrophe, or misfortune. The body often mobilizes itself to meet the perceived threat: Muscles become tense, breathing is faster, and the heart beats more rapidly. Anxiety may be distinguished from fear both conceptually and physiologically, although the two terms are often used interchangeably. Anxiety is considered a future-oriented, long-acting response broadly focused on a diffuse threat, whereas fear is an appropriate, present-oriented, and short-lived response to a clearly identifiable and specific threat. ---anxious adj.

Causes of Anxiety

Biological Factors:

  • The brain has special chemicals, called neurotransmitters, that send messages back and forth to control the way a person feels. Serotonin and dopamine are two important neurotransmitters that, when "out of whack," can cause feelings of anxiety.

Family factors

  • Just as a child can inherit a parent's brown hair, green eyes, and nearsightedness, a child can also inherit that parent's anxiety. In addition, anxiety may be learned from family members and others who are noticeably stressed or anxious around a child. For example, a child whose parent is a perfectionist may become a perfectionist too. Parents can also contribute to their child's anxiety without realizing it by the way they respond to their child. For example, allowing a child to miss school when they are anxious about going, likely causes the child to feel more anxious the next school day.

Environmental factors

Symptoms of Anxiety:

All anxiety disorders have one thing in common: persistent, excessive fear or worry in situations that may or may not be threatening.

Emotional symptoms:

  • Feelings of apprehension or dread
  • Feeling tense or jumpy
  • Restlessness or irritability
  • Anticipating the worst and being watchful for signs of danger

Physical symptoms:

  • Pounding or racing heart and shortness of breath
  • Sweating, tremors and twitches
  • Headaches, fatigue and insomnia
  • Upset stomach, frequent urination or diarrhea

Movie: What It Feels Like To Have Anxiety

Unhelpful Behavioral Responses to Anxiety

Sensitization:

  • A person using this type of coping strategy seeks to learn about, rehearse, and/or anticipate fearful events
  • This serves as a protective effort to prevent these events from occurring in the first place. These efforts result in hyper-vigilance and obsessive worrying. This type of coping strategy is commonly observed in people with GAD
  • So this would be playing things out in your head, ruminating, analyzing situations over and over in order to learn or rehearse. This can also look thinking about what you believe a response from someone could be

Safety behaviors:

  • Safety behaviors are actions carried out with the intention of preventing a feared catastrophe. In the short-term they often give a sense of relief, but in the long-term they prove unhelpful.
  • These safety behaviors make the person feel more comfortable in the situation by providing temporary relief from anxiety. However, safety behaviors have been described as the major cause of persisting anxiety and the reason why people don't feel relief during exposures (Wells, Clark, Salkovskis, Ludgate, Hackmann, & Gelder, 1995).
  • Examples:
    • Checking: e.g., stoves, locks, location of exits, location of bathrooms, one's pulse or blood pressure, excessive checking of written work or emails, safety of significant others;
    • Mental Maneuvers: Repeated attempts at mental distraction, mental self reassurance, mental reviewing or analysis of events, thoughts, bodily reactions, repeated mental analysis, mental distraction;
    • Use of Safety Aids: Carrying rescue medication, water, food, inhalers, antibacterial lotion, phone numbers in your car or person, having to have another person accompany you to certain places.
    • Reassurance Seeking from others: Repeatedly asking for reassurance from friends, partner, other family members, boss, or others.

Escape techniques:

  • Physically removing yourself from a perceived threat
  • When we encounter an anxiety-producing situation our attention begins to shift. We become overly focused on the signs of threat. This narrowing of attention causes our subjective feelings of anxiety to rise. Our desire to escape the situation increases. However, if we do not remain in the panic-producing situation long enough, we can never discover that anxiety will naturally subside on its own. This is called habituation

Self-Medication:

  • To calm the crippling side effects of anxiety, those suffering with it often turn to alcohol or drugs in order to self-medicate and find relief.
  • Substance use, marijuana, CBD, smoking, alcohol, etc

Avoidance:

  • An avoidance coping strategy serves to maintain anxiety disorders because the person never has the opportunity to learn that they can tolerate their anxiety. Likewise, they cannot have new experiences that would allow them to unlearn the faulty beliefs they have come to associate with the situation.

APPLICATION (Action) - Coping with Anxiety

"Sufficient for the day is its own trouble" (Matthew 6:34)

  • Mindfulness: awareness of one's internal states and surroundings.
  • 5-4-3-2-1: Sensory based mindfulness
    • Describe 5 things you see in the room
    • Name 4 things you can feel (my feet on the floor, my butt on the chair)
    • Name 3 things you can hear right now
    • Name 2 things you can smell right now (or two smells you like)
    • Name 1 thing you can taste

"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." John 14:27

  • Deep breathing
    • We talked about the body's automatic response to perceived fear. In order to bring ourselves down, we have to actively turn on the break system. To do that, we need to focus on our breathing.
    • Lengthen your exhale
    • Belly Breathing

"For You formed my inward parts; you covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are your works, and that my soul knows very well" Psalm 139:13-14

  • Self Care & Uniqueness
    • God created each of us to be unique- "fearfully and wonderfully made." It is in that uniqueness that we see differences in the things we find helpful when trying to cope with anxiety. It is important that we each take time to find what works for us because it can be very different than your friends and your family. Here are some ideas to try out:
    • Journaling/writing
    • Exercise or play sports
    • Listening to music
    • Painting
    • Cooking/baking
    • Card/Board games
    • Take a bath/do nails/makeup
    • Using a fidget
    • Positive self-talk
    • Going for a walk or stretching

DISCUSSION/ACTIVITY

To practice coping with anxiety, do a progressive muscle relaxation exercise together.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

When should I get professional help for my anxiety?

  • Anxiety is a normal response to stressful and uncertain times. It is normal to go through waves of anxiety, worry and fear when you face things like challenging academics, problems with your family and friends, etc. However, if you have anxiety that does not seem to go away when there is nothing that you can identify that is causing it, and it impairs your ability to function normally, and has stayed for several months at that intensity; it may be time for you to seek professional help.

How can I get help?

  • There are several ways to find a mental health professional that can help you address your anxiety. First, talk to a trusted adult about your experience that you can rely on to help you get help. That person can be your parents, teachers, or school counselors. That person can also be your Sunday school teachers or Abouna. Most health insurances cover psychotherapy so it may be as simple as calling your insurance and finding a provider in network. Thank God, we have over 100 mental health professionals in the dioceses and many of them are happy to get you connected to services if you are struggling to do so. There is also the option to contact 2-1-1 to find resources in your county.

What is the difference between fear and anxiety?

  • "The main function of fear and anxiety is to act as a signal of danger, threat, or motivational conflict, and to trigger appropriate adaptive responses. For some authors, fear and anxiety are undistinguishable, whereas others believe that they are distinct phenomena." "Although both are alerting signals, they appear to prepare the body for different actions. Anxiety is a generalized response to an unknown threat or internal conflict, whereas fear is focused on known external danger." "At the heart of this structure is a sense of uncontrollability focused largely on possible future threats, danger, or other upcoming potentially negative events, in contrast to fear, where the danger is present and imminent." Steimer T. The biology of fear- and anxiety-related behaviors. Dialogues Clin Neurosci. 2002;4(3):231-249.