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Anxiety Armor

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Giselle Ramirez

Tier 3
For Schools

Lesson Plan

Armor Building Blueprint

Equip a 10th grade student with mental tools—positive self-talk, grounding techniques, and reflective writing—to manage stress and anxiety. By session’s end, the student will practice two coping strategies and draft a personalized anxiety action plan.

Teaching these skills builds emotional resilience, reduces anxiety’s impact on learning, and empowers the student with self-efficacy. Early intervention supports long-term mental health and academic success.

Audience

10th Grade Student

Time

60 minutes

Approach

Personalized coaching plus interactive practice.

Materials

  • Your Anxiety Shield, - Guided Coaching Dialogue, - Grounding Stones Worksheet, and - Armor Reflection Journal

Prep

Review Materials

10 minutes

  • Familiarize yourself with all session materials:
    • Your Anxiety Shield
    • Guided Coaching Dialogue
    • Grounding Stones Worksheet
    • Armor Reflection Journal
  • Ensure a quiet, comfortable one-on-one space.
  • Print copies of the worksheet and journal pages.
  • Test any tech needed for slide review.

Step 1

Welcome and Warm-Up

5 minutes

  • Greet the student warmly and offer a brief check-in: “On a scale of 1–10, how’s your stress level today?”
  • Reinforce confidentiality and support.
  • Explain the session’s goal: building their Anxiety Armor.

Step 2

Presentation and Discussion

10 minutes

  • Share key concepts via Your Anxiety Shield.
  • Discuss how stress impacts mind and body.
  • Invite the student to name recent triggers and feelings.

Step 3

Guided Coaching Dialogue

20 minutes

  • Use the Guided Coaching Dialogue to lead the student through:
    • Identifying negative self-talk patterns.
    • Practicing reframing statements into positive affirmations.
    • Introducing a simple grounding technique (5-4-3-2-1 sense check).
  • Ask reflective questions and allow space for responses.

Step 4

Grounding Stones Activity

15 minutes

  • Provide the Grounding Stones Worksheet.
  • Guide the student to list sensory anchors (e.g., sights, sounds).
  • Have them draw or write an anchor stone for each sense.
  • Practice the grounding exercise together using their stones.

Step 5

Reflection and Wrap-Up

10 minutes

  • Hand out the Armor Reflection Journal.
  • Prompt the student to journal:
    • Which strategy felt most helpful and why?
    • When will they use these tools next?
  • Summarize key takeaways and set a simple homework task: practice one grounding technique daily.
  • Confirm a follow-up check-in if needed.
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Slide Deck

Your Anxiety Shield

Welcome! In this session, we’ll learn what anxiety is, how it shows up in mind and body, and explore three coping tools to build your Anxiety Shield.

Welcome the student and introduce the session. Explain that today they’ll build their personal Anxiety Shield—mental tools to deflect stress.

What Is Anxiety?

Anxiety is your body’s natural alarm system.

• Alerts you to challenges or threats
• Can make you feel uneasy, restless, or tense
• Common and treatable with practice

Define anxiety in simple terms and invite the student to share a recent moment they felt anxious.

How Anxiety Affects You

Mind:
• Racing thoughts
• Worry or “what-if” thinking

Body:
• Increased heart rate
• Sweaty palms or shaky hands

Discuss how anxiety affects both thoughts and physical sensations. Ask the student to give examples of what they’ve noticed in themselves.

Anxiety Armor Components

  1. Positive Self-Talk: Reframe negative thoughts into helpful messages
  2. Grounding Techniques: Use your five senses to stay present
  3. Reflective Journaling: Write down what you’re feeling and why

Briefly introduce each coping strategy. Let the student know you’ll dive deeper into each one.

Grounding Technique: 5-4-3-2-1

  1. Notice 5 things you can see
  2. Notice 4 things you can touch
  3. Notice 3 things you can hear
  4. Notice 2 things you can smell
  5. Notice 1 thing you can taste

Walk through the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique. Prompt the student to try naming each sense anchor.

Next Steps: Building Your Shield

• Choose one tool to practice when you feel anxious
• Track your experience in the Armor Reflection Journal
• Set a reminder: practice daily for 5 minutes

Encourage the student to pick one strategy to practice today. Explain how they’ll use the Armor Reflection Journal at the end.

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Script

Guided Coaching Dialogue Script

Purpose: Lead the student through identifying and reframing negative self-talk, then practice a simple grounding technique (5-4-3-2-1).

1. Identifying Negative Self-Talk

Coach: "Let’s start by thinking about a time you felt anxious recently. Can you describe what happened and what thoughts went through your mind?"


Coach: "Thank you for sharing. What did you say to yourself in that moment?"


Coach: "I want us to notice if any of those thoughts sound like unhelpful or negative self-talk. Which of your thoughts feels most self-critical or worry-filled?"


2. Reframing Into Positive Self-Talk

Coach: "When we notice a negative thought, we can reframe it into a more supportive statement. I’ll model one."
• Negative thought example: “I’m terrible at math; I’ll never pass.”
• Reframed: “I’ve practiced hard, and I can improve with each attempt.”

Coach: "Now, let’s try with yours. Take that negative thought you just named and turn it into something you’d tell a friend to encourage them."


Coach (after student response): "That’s excellent. You shifted it into a kinder, more realistic message. How does that feel in your body when you say the new statement?"


Coach: "One more time: pick another thought, and let’s reframe it together."


3. Grounding Technique (5-4-3-2-1)

Coach: "Great work. Now we’ll practice a quick grounding exercise you can use anytime. It’s called 5-4-3-2-1. I’ll guide you through each step. Ready?"

  1. Coach: "Look around and name 5 things you can see."


  2. Coach: "Touch and name 4 things you can feel."


  3. Coach: "Listen and name 3 things you can hear."


  4. Coach: "Notice and name 2 things you can smell."


  5. Coach: "Lastly, name 1 thing you can taste."


Coach: "How was that? Which sense felt most helpful to bring you back to the present?"


4. Wrap-Up Reflection

Coach: "You’ve just practiced positive self-talk and grounding. Which tool do you think you’ll use first when you feel anxious?"


Coach: "Great choice. Remember to write about your experience tonight in your Armor Reflection Journal. We’ll check in on how it went at our next session."

Coach: "Thank you for your openness today. You’re building strong Anxiety Armor!"

lenny
lenny

Activity

Grounding Stones Worksheet

Instructions:
Use this worksheet to anchor yourself in the present moment by engaging each of your five senses. For each sense:

  1. List the required number of things you notice right now.
  2. Draw or describe your personal “grounding stone” that represents that sense.
    When you feel anxious, revisit these stones or visualize them to help calm your mind.

1. Sight (5)

Write 5 things you can see right now:

  1. ___________
    2. ___________
    3. ___________
    4. ___________
    5. ___________


    Draw or describe your Sight Stone below:





2. Touch (4)

Write 4 things you can feel/touch right now:

  1. ___________
    2. ___________
    3. ___________
    4. ___________


    Draw or describe your Touch Stone below:





3. Hearing (3)

Write 3 things you can hear right now:

  1. ___________
    2. ___________
    3. ___________


    Draw or describe your Hearing Stone below:





4. Smell (2)

Write 2 things you can smell right now:

  1. ___________
    2. ___________


    Draw or describe your Smell Stone below:





5. Taste (1)

Write 1 thing you can taste right now:

  1. ___________


    Draw or describe your Taste Stone below:





Reflection:
Which of these grounding stones do you think will help calm you the most when you’re feeling anxious?

Keep this worksheet somewhere you can easily access it and practice daily for 5 minutes to strengthen your Anxiety Armor.

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Journal

Armor Reflection Journal

Date: _______________________

1. Which anxiety-coping strategy did you practice today?
(e.g., positive self-talk, grounding technique, reflective journaling)





2. What situation or trigger led you to use this strategy?





3. Describe, step by step, how you applied the strategy.










4. How did you feel before using the strategy? How did you feel after?





5. What changes did you notice in your thoughts, body, or mood?





6. On a scale of 1–5, how helpful was the strategy? Why?
1 2 3 4 5





7. How can you remind yourself to use this tool the next time you feel anxious?





8. Write a positive affirmation you’ll repeat to yourself daily to build your Anxiety Armor.





9. Next Steps:
What is one small goal you’ll set for practicing this strategy over the next week?





Remember to bring this journal to our next session so we can celebrate your progress and plan your next layer of Anxiety Armor. Good work building resilience!

lenny
lenny