Anxiety Avengers Worksheet

Use this worksheet to apply a positive coping strategy to a personal worry. Fill in each section thoughtfully.

1. Identify Your Worry

What is a worry or anxious thought you’ve experienced recently? Describe it in detail:

2. Recognize the Trigger

When and where do you usually feel this worry? List the situations or events that set it off:

3. Choose a Coping Strategy

Review the strategies from our lesson and circle the one you plan to use:

• Deep Breathing
• Journaling
• Talking with a Friend or Adult
• Physical Activity
• Other: _____________________

Which strategy did you choose? _________________________________________

Why do you think this strategy will help you?

4. Plan Your Steps

Write a clear, step-by-step plan for how you will use your chosen strategy when you feel anxious (e.g., “First I will…, then I will…”):

5. Reflect on Your Practice

After you try your strategy, answer the questions below:

a. What did you notice in your body or your thoughts?

b. Did the strategy help you feel calmer? Why or why not?

c. What might you do differently next time?

Remember: there is no right or wrong answer. This is your practice to become a stronger Anxiety Avenger!

(Refer back to the Anxiety Avengers Slide Deck for more tips if you need them.)

Anxiety Avengers Discussion

Discussion Guidelines

• Listen respectfully: one person speaks at a time.
• Everyone’s experiences are valid—no judgment.
• Raise your hand to share, and speak in a clear, calm voice.
• Ask follow-up questions if you want to understand a peer’s experience better.

Discussion Prompts & Follow-Up Questions

1. Understanding Anxiety

Prompt: What does anxiety feel like for you?

Follow-Ups:

• Can you describe any physical signs (racing heart, sweaty palms)?
• What thoughts run through your mind when you feel anxious?

2. Identifying Triggers

Prompt: What situations or events tend to make you feel anxious?

Follow-Ups:

• Are there common places (school, home) or times (before tests, during presentations)?
• Who do you usually notice these feelings around?

3. Sharing Past Strategies

Prompt: Have you ever tried a coping strategy on your own? What was it?

Follow-Ups:

• Did it help? What changed in your body or thoughts?
• What was challenging about using that strategy?

4. Exploring Today’s Strategies

Prompt: Of the coping strategies we listed (deep breathing, journaling, talking, physical activity), which seems most helpful and why?

Follow-Ups:

• How might you use this strategy next time you feel anxious?
• When and where could you practice this so it becomes easier?

5. Supporting Others

Prompt: How can you help a friend who is feeling anxious?

Follow-Ups:

• What could you say or do to show you care?
• How might sharing your own experience be comforting to someone else?

Next Steps

• Encourage students to jot down one new insight from this discussion on the back of their Anxiety Avengers Worksheet.
• Remind them to practice their chosen strategy this week and note what happens.
• Optional: Pair up next session to share successes and challenges, building a supportive “Avengers” network.

Anxiety Avengers Role-Play

Activity Goals

• Practice applying a positive coping strategy in a realistic situation
• Build teamwork and communication skills
• Reflect on what makes a strategy effective

Materials Needed

• Chart paper or large sticky notes
• Markers
• Anxiety Avengers Worksheet (for reference)

Group Setup (2 minutes)

1. Divide the class into groups of 3–4 students.
2. Assign roles in each group:
   • Scenario Reader: Presents the anxiety scenario verbally.
   • Actors: At least one student takes on the role of the person experiencing anxiety; another plays a supportive friend or adult.
   • Observer/Timekeeper: Notes how well the coping strategy is used and keeps the group on time.

Step-by-Step Instructions (12 minutes)

1. Choose a Scenario (3 min)
   • Each group picks one situation from the list below or creates their own:
   • Test Day Jitters: A student feels panicked before a big math quiz.
   • New Activity Nerves: A student worries about trying out for the school play or sports team.
   • Social Stress: A student feels anxious about joining a conversation with friends at lunch.
   • Presentation Panic: A student is scared to speak in front of the class.
2. Select a Coping Strategy (2 min)
   • Review the strategies from our lesson (deep breathing, journaling, talking, physical activity) and decide which one fits best for your scenario.
3. Plan Your Role-Play (4 min)
   • On chart paper, jot down:
   • The key moments when the anxious character notices their worry.
   • How and when they introduce the coping strategy.
   • What supportive characters say or do to help.
     • Assign who will act out each part.
4. Perform the Role-Play (5 min)
   • Present your 1–2 minute skit to the class.
   • Show clearly:
   • The trigger or moment of anxiety.
   • How the strategy is used step by step.
   • The outcome (Does the character feel calmer? What changes?)

Reflection & Feedback (6 minutes)

1. Class Feedback (3 min)
   • After each performance, the class answers:
   • What part of the role-play showed the coping strategy clearly?
   • What could the anxious character try differently next time?
2. Group Debrief (3 min)
   • In your group, use your Anxiety Avengers Worksheet as a guide to discuss:
   • a. What worked well when you used the strategy?
   • b. How did the supportive friend’s actions help?
   • c. What adjustments would make the strategy more effective in real life?

Tip for Teachers: Circulate to each group during planning to prompt students to think through each step and encourage clear demonstrations of the coping strategy.

Anxiety Avengers Warm-Up (5 minutes)

1. Warm Greeting
   As students enter, greet each by name and hand them an index card or sticky note.
2. One-Word Check-In
   On your card, write one word that describes how you feel right now:
   
   
   
3. Quick Share
   Go around the circle. When it’s your turn, hold up your card, say your word, and briefly explain why you chose it (10–15 seconds each).
4. Introduce Today’s Focus
   • Say: “Today we’ll learn about anxiety, a normal feeling of worry or nervousness. We’re going to become Anxiety Avengers by discovering positive strategies to help us feel more in control of our worries.”
5. Transition
   Invite students to find a seat in the semi-circle for the upcoming discussion.

Anxiety Avengers Cool-Down (3 minutes)

1. Guided Breathing
   • Sit comfortably with feet on the floor and hands resting in your lap.
   • Inhale slowly through your nose for 4 seconds.
   • Hold your breath for 2 seconds.
   • Exhale slowly through your mouth for 4 seconds.
   • Repeat the cycle three times, focusing on the rise and fall of your chest.
2. Notice What Changed
   After the breathing exercise, close your eyes or soften your gaze and ask yourself:You can jot quick notes on the back of your worksheet or just hold the reflections in your mind:
   
   
   
   
   
   
   • What did I notice in my body? (e.g., shoulders relaxing, slower heartbeat)
   • What thoughts came or went away?
3. Exit Ticket
   • Take an index card.
   • On one half, write one coping strategy you plan to use this week: ____________
   • On the other half, write one insight from today’s breathing exercise (e.g., “I felt calmer,” “My thoughts slowed down”): ____________
   • Hand in your card as you leave so we can celebrate your progress and plan our next steps!