Let's talk about anxiety: animation and teacher toolkit : Mentally Healthy Schools

A short animation and accompanying resources for teachers, exploring the topic of anxiety with secondary school students aged 11 to 13.

'Let's talk about anxiety' is a new animation and teacher toolkit from Anna Freud, which looks at the topic of anxiety.

Aimed at students in the early years of secondary school, it offers top tips on how to manage feelings of anxiety when they arise and helps to explain that anxiety is a normal emotion.

Through the use of this animation and resources, students will learn:

that anxiety is a normal emotion
that different people may experience anxiety differently and in response to different stimuli
anxiety can affect our bodies as well as our minds
strategies that help them to regulate strong feelings
coping strategies that could help people in different situations

The toolkit contains materials for running a lesson and an assembly, as well as guidance for teachers, PSHE co-ordinators and parents/carers.

Using this resource

This resource is designed for:

use with young people aged 11 to 13
use by secondary school classroom teachers and/or PSHE co-ordinators

Curriculum links

England - RSHE	Mental health and wellbeing By the end of secondary school pupils should know: ● how to talk about their emotions accurately and sensitively, using appropriate vocabulary. ● how to recognise the early signs of mental wellbeing concerns. ● common types of mental ill health (e.g. anxiety and depression)
Northern Ireland – Learning for Life and Work	Self-awareness and Personal Health KS3 pupils should have opportunity to: ● investigate the influences on a young person; for example, peer pressure, media, social and cultural trends, fears, anxieties and motivations, etc. ● investigate the influences on physical and emotional/mental health; for example, regular physical activity, personal hygiene, diet, stress, work/life balance etc. ● develop understanding about, and strategies to manage, the effects of change on body, mind and behaviour; for example, puberty, body image, mood swings, etc.
Scotland – Health and Wellbeing	Mental and emotional wellbeing • I am developing my understanding of the human body and can use this knowledge to maintain and improve my wellbeing and health. • I am aware of and able to express my feelings and am developing the ability to talk about them. • I know that we all experience a variety of thoughts and emotions that affect how we feel and behave and I am learning ways of managing them. • I understand that my feelings and reactions can change depending upon what is happening within and around me. This helps me to understand my own behaviour and the way others behave.
Wales - Health and Wellbeing	Progression step 3 How we process and respond to our experiences affects our mental health and emotional wellbeing I can recognise the benefits of being able to focus attention on my perceptions (canfyddiadau) and thoughts and know that I am developing my self-awareness (hunanymywbyddiaeth). I can self-regulate (hunanreoleiddio) my emotions in a healthy way using strategies that I have developed. I can see the benefits of communicating about feelings as one of a range of strategies which can help promote positive mental health and emotional wellbeing. Progression step 4 I can independently focus attention on my perceptions, thoughts and feelings in order to further develop my self-awareness. I can identify different strategies to self-regulate my emotions in response to a range of experiences.