Anxiety Thermometer

Thermometer showing increasing levels of anxiety and then with a space to think about what things make them feel that anxious and how they can calm themselves down at different levels of anxiety.

Why do you need this?
The Anxiety Thermometer worksheet helps children become more aware of the intensity of their anxiety by categorising it on a scale from calm to debilitating. This self-awareness is crucial for developing emotional intelligence and understanding the range of emotions they experience. By writing examples of when they have felt each level of anxiety, children can identify specific triggers or situations that lead to different levels of anxiety. This understanding allows them to anticipate and manage their responses more effectively in the future.

How and when might you use this?
This worksheet could be used in a variety of ways:
· In lessons on social-emotional learning to help students identify and understand the different levels of their anxiety and practice coping strategies.
· Following an incident of intense anxiety as tool for self-reflection to identify their anxiety level and reflect on how they managed their emotions.
· During counselling sessions to support students in exploring their anxiety triggers and developing personalised coping strategies.
· As 1:1 support for a child struggling with social anxiety.
· During circle time discussions focused on emotions and self-regulation.

What’s included?
The worksheet features a color-coded thermometer bar ranging from “calm” up to “debilitating”. Five stages of anxiety are delineated including calm, mild, moderate, severe, and debilitating. At each level, students give examples of things that would trigger those feelings for them. Next, children self-strategise the best ways they can calm down at each anxiety level such as take deep breaths, hug a stuffed animal, positive self-talk, or write down your feelings