Anxiety is on a continuum Copy

Anxiety is on a continuum

The situations we find ourselves in influence the level of anxiety we feel. For children, youth and adults alike, anxiety levels can fluctuate over the course of the day.

The worry scale

The Worry Scale is one of the lessons in the Understanding Feelings section of EASE. A worry scale illustrates the idea that feelings come and go, and they don’t stay at the same intensity or “rating” forever. It can teach students to pay attention to their feelings in different situations and help them learn to use a coping skill or ask for help before a feeling gets too big.

Consider each of the following situations and rate the level of anxiety you, as an adult, would feel in each situation, and identify a strategy you could use to help reduce your anxiety:

1. Going to speak to your supervisor

2. Being evaluated

3. The first day of school

4. Attending a parent-teacher interview

5. Speaking at an assembly

The English language has many words to express anxiety and its levels of intensity. Drag and drop the following words along the continuum of anxiety below: