Which Part of Your Brain is Talking?

Notice your thoughts

The first step to feeling better is to know when your fear brain has been turned on accidentally. If you can notice when you are feeling nervous, worried, scared or having urges or pictures in your mind, you will be able to help yourself feel better. Begin to notice what anxiety sounds like and feels like. Notice your thoughts, feelings, body movements, and body feelings.

Worry thoughts are about bad things in the future, and they include words like “What if,” “Maybe,” “It might,” or “It could.” They involve the same bad thoughts you may have often, those same 2, 3 or 4 awful thoughts.

Notice your feelings or emotions

Anxious feelings include worried, nervous, scared and anxious. Some kids feel annoyed or angry. These feelings can be small, medium or large. When they are very large, it’s called panic. In panic you are very, very scared or frightened.  

Notice your body moving

Body movements include fidgeting, staying near parents, moving a lot, rubbing something smooth, tapping or moving your feet or hands, swinging your legs, playing with your hair or pencil or feeling like you need to move or get comfortable.

Notice your body feelings

Body feelings might be a stomachache or head ache, tense muscles, sweaty hands, a lump in the throat, heart racing, feeling like you can’t breathe or feeling jumpy. Sometimes these feelings might make you think your body is sick, but these are just what the body does when the fear brain turns on.