Lesson Plan
What's Holding You Back?
Students will be able to define maladaptive behaviors and identify at least two personal examples of avoidance or withdrawal that negatively impact their mood.
Understanding how our behaviors affect our emotions is crucial for developing healthy coping mechanisms and improving overall well-being. By recognizing maladaptive patterns, students can begin to make more intentional choices that support their emotional health.
Audience
High School Students
Time
30 minutes
Approach
Interactive discussion, guided reflection, and a personal worksheet.
Materials
The Action-Emotion Connection Slides, My Avoidance Patterns Worksheet, and Guided Discussion Questions
Prep
Teacher Preparation
15 minutes
- Review the The Action-Emotion Connection Slides and familiarize yourself with the content.
- Print copies of the My Avoidance Patterns Worksheet (one per student).
- Review the Guided Discussion Questions and prepare for leading the discussion.
- Ensure projector or smartboard is ready for the slide deck.
Step 1
Introduction: Actions and Emotions
5 minutes
- Begin with a warm-up question: "How do your actions impact how you feel?" Allow students to briefly share.
- Introduce the concept of the action-emotion connection using The Action-Emotion Connection Slides (Slide 1-2).
- Briefly explain that today's lesson will explore specific types of actions that can hold us back emotionally.
Step 2
Defining Maladaptive Behaviors
8 minutes
- Present the definition of maladaptive behaviors, specifically focusing on avoidance and withdrawal, using The Action-Emotion Connection Slides (Slide 3-4).
- Provide clear examples relevant to high school students (e.g., avoiding homework, withdrawing from social situations, procrastinating on tasks).
- Distribute the My Avoidance Patterns Worksheet. Instruct students to reflect individually and identify at least two personal examples of avoidance or withdrawal that negatively impact their mood.
Step 3
Group Discussion on Avoidance Patterns
10 minutes
- Facilitate a group discussion using the Guided Discussion Questions.
- Encourage students to share (voluntarily) their observations from the worksheet without pressure to reveal deeply personal information.
- Guide the conversation to highlight common themes and the shared experience of these behaviors.
- Emphasize that recognizing these patterns is the first step towards change.
Step 4
Introducing Behavioral Activation (Video)
5 minutes
- Introduce the concept of Behavioral Activation as a way to counteract avoidance and withdrawal, using The Action-Emotion Connection Slides (Slide 6).
- Play the embedded video on Behavioral Activation.
- Facilitate a brief discussion on initial thoughts or questions after watching the video.
Step 5
Reflecting on Impact and Alternative Paths
2 minutes
- Referencing the video and prior discussion, summarize how taking small, positive actions can interrupt negative cycles.
- Emphasize the power of choice in shaping their emotional well-being and the idea of moving towards what matters. Gather worksheets for review if desired.
Slide Deck
What's Holding You Back?
Understanding the Action-Emotion Connection
How do your actions make you feel?
Welcome students and introduce the topic. Ask the warm-up question: "How do your actions impact how you feel?" Encourage a few brief responses to activate prior knowledge.
The Cycle of Actions and Emotions
Our actions don't just happen; they influence our feelings!
Sometimes our choices can lead to a positive cycle.
Other times, they can lead to a negative one.
Explain that our actions and emotions are linked. Sometimes we do things that make us feel good, and sometimes we do things that unintentionally make us feel worse. Today, we're focusing on the latter.
What Are Maladaptive Behaviors?
Actions that we take to cope with challenges, but actually make things worse over time.
Type 1: Avoidance
- Definition: Steering clear of situations, tasks, or people that trigger discomfort, stress, or anxiety.
- Examples: Procrastinating on homework, not going to a social event, ignoring a problem instead of solving it.
Introduce maladaptive behaviors. Emphasize that these are often unintentional ways we try to cope, but they end up hurting us in the long run. Define 'avoidance' with simple, relatable examples (e.g., avoiding chores, not studying for a test, ignoring a difficult conversation).
What Are Maladaptive Behaviors?
Type 2: Withdrawal
- Definition: Pulling back from engagement, interaction, or participation, often as a response to perceived difficulty or overwhelm.
- Examples: Isolating yourself, becoming quiet in group settings, giving up on a project when it gets tough.
Define 'withdrawal' with examples. Differentiate it slightly from avoidance by focusing on pulling back from engagement (e.g., stopping participation, isolating oneself). Ask students to think about how these might look in their own lives.
Personal Impact: What's the Cost?
When we avoid or withdraw, it might feel good for a moment, but often leads to:
- Increased stress or anxiety later on
- Missed opportunities
- Negative impact on our mood (feeling worse, not better)
- Stagnation instead of growth
What are your patterns?
Transition to the worksheet. Explain that they will now identify their own patterns. Reinforce that recognizing these patterns is a powerful first step. After the worksheet, prompt the discussion using the discussion questions.
When avoidance feels strong, what if we tried doing something different?
Watch this video to learn about Behavioral Activation, a powerful strategy for improving your mood through action!
Introduce the concept of behavioral activation as a counter to avoidance and withdrawal. Play the embedded video. After the video, briefly discuss how taking action can shift our mood.
Worksheet
My Avoidance Patterns Worksheet
Name: ____________________________
Date: ____________________________
Part 1: Defining Maladaptive Behaviors
In your own words, briefly define the following terms:
- Avoidance:
- Withdrawal:
Part 2: Identifying Your Patterns
Think about times when you might have used avoidance or withdrawal. These are not always big things; sometimes they are small, everyday habits. For each question, identify at least one personal example and explain how it made you feel afterward.
-
Example of Avoidance: Describe a situation where you avoided something (a task, a conversation, a situation) that you knew you probably should have faced.
- What did you avoid?
- How did avoiding it make you feel in the short term?
- How did avoiding it make you feel in the long term (e.g., later that day, the next day, etc.)? What was the negative impact on your mood?
- What did you avoid?
-
Another Example of Avoidance (Optional):
- What did you avoid?
- How did avoiding it make you feel in the short term?
- How did avoiding it make you feel in the long term (e.g., later that day, the next day, etc.)? What was the negative impact on your mood?
- What did you avoid?
-
Example of Withdrawal: Describe a situation where you withdrew from something (a social activity, a group project, a challenging task) rather than engaging with it.
- From what did you withdraw?
- How did withdrawing make you feel in the short term?
- How did withdrawing make you feel in the long term (e.g., later that day, the next day, etc.)? What was the negative impact on your mood?
- From what did you withdraw?
-
Another Example of Withdrawal (Optional):
- From what did you withdraw?
- How did withdrawing make you feel in the short term?
- How did withdrawing make you feel in the long term (e.g., later that day, the next day, etc.)? What was the negative impact on your mood?
- From what did you withdraw?
Part 3: Reflection
What is one thing you noticed about how avoidance or withdrawal affects your feelings after completing this worksheet?
Discussion
Guided Discussion Questions: What's Holding You Back?
Opening the Discussion
- Based on our discussion and the worksheet, what were some common situations or feelings that led to avoidance or withdrawal for people?
- Can anyone share a general observation (without needing to get too personal) about how they felt in the short term right after avoiding or withdrawing from something? Did it provide a temporary sense of relief?
Exploring Impact
- Now, thinking about the long-term impact, what are some of the negative feelings or consequences that resulted from those avoidance or withdrawal behaviors?
- How does avoiding a problem or withdrawing from a challenge prevent us from learning or growing?
- Can you think of a time when someone else's avoidance or withdrawal impacted you? How did that feel?
Moving Forward
- Based on the video, how can "behavioral activation" help us when we find ourselves avoiding or withdrawing?
- What is one small action you could take this week to move towards a goal or situation you might usually avoid?
- Why is simply recognizing our avoidance patterns, as we did on the worksheet, a powerful first step towards change?