Wellbeing - When Worry Gets Loud
| Category: | Wellbeing |
|---|---|
| Notes: | For any meeting, especially before something stressful like a big campout, a swim test, a board of review, or exam season. Includes a short breathing exercise the whole group can do together. This is encouragement, not counseling: if a Scout seems to be struggling a lot, talk with their parents. Part of a Wellbeing series - see the other minutes in this category, and asking-for-help. |
Everybody worries sometimes. About a test. About a campout. About whether people like you. About things at home you can't control. Worry is normal. It's your brain's way of trying to keep you safe.
But some days the worry gets really loud. Your stomach hurts. Your heart beats fast. You can't stop thinking "What if?" over and over. If that's ever happened to you, you're not weird, and you're definitely not alone. Lots of people in this room have felt it, including grown-ups.
So here are a few things that help.
First, breathe. Not just "calm down." Real, slow breathing. Let's try it together. Breathe in while I count to four. Hold it for four. Breathe out for four. Hold for four. (Lead the group through two or three rounds.) Notice anything? Slow breathing tells your body that you're safe, even when your brain isn't sure yet.
Second, name it. Say to yourself, "I'm feeling worried right now." It sounds simple, but putting a name on a feeling makes it a little smaller.
Third, and most important, tell someone. A parent, a leader, a friend, a teacher, a counselor. Worry grows when you keep it to yourself and shrinks when you share it. You don't have to have the right words. "I've been really worried lately" is enough to start.
Being brave doesn't mean never feeling worried. Sometimes being brave means saying out loud, "I need some help with this."
For leaders: If a Scout tells you their worry is constant, is keeping them from sleeping or eating, or that they've thought about hurting themselves, take it seriously and make sure their parents know. In the US, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is free and available 24/7 by call or text. Outside the US, Find A Helpline lists free, confidential helplines by country.