Professional
Are you faced with youth who are experiencing anxiety?
Whether you are a teacher, the coach of a sports team, or a professional in a school or the community, your role with our youth is large and essential.
Funny TikTok clips and this web platform are an excellent opportunity to raise the subject of stress and anxiety with the teenagers around you.
Have a good visit and don’t let stress have the last word!
FEAR, STRESS and ANXIETY are normal reactions and
are terms that are often confused:
What is
anxiety?
It is a normal adaptive emotion which lets you adjust to situations by allowing you to use your resources to “tame” life’s challenges in small steps. It is therefore necessary and useful. Anxiety arises from the anticipation of potential dangers (something not currently present) and is therefore linked to our perceptions of situations. It is a tendency to imagine catastrophic scenarios and to make yourself fearful about things that have not yet happened (you know, the little hamster of your thoughts that never stops?).
When can anxiety
become a
problem?
Anxiety becomes a problem when it negatively affects your ability to function, causes you too much distress and makes you avoid anxiety-inducing situations. It is normal to experience anxiety as long as it doesn’t take over your life. Anxiety that is too intense or too frequent and persists over time (even if the threat is no longer there) may be an anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorders are the most frequent mental health problems experienced by youth.
What is
fear?
It is an emotion that arises rapidly when you are exposed to an immediate danger or threat. Fear protects you because it is essential to increase your chances of survival. One area of your brain (amygdala) sounds the alarm, and the brain triggers a stress response in your body so that you can survive the danger (so that you can fight or flee from the threat).
What is addiction?
An addiction is a habit that takes up more and more space in someone’s life and causes consequences in various aspects of their life.
Adolescence is a period filled with challenges during which you will be called upon to make choices about your lifestyle. Some habits, though, entail greater risks than others. For example, use of substances such as nicotine, caffeine alcohol, etc., can have an impact on your life. Maybe you have heard about the use of these substances, and you are wondering about them. To ensure that you make informed choices, it is important to learn and talk about them!
What is
trait anxiety?
The degree of anxiety can vary from one type of person to another. Trait anxiety is talked about in the scientific literature as a personality trait. People who experience more trait anxiety tend to perceive things as more threatening than others do.
What is
stress?
It is your body’s physiological reaction that is necessary in the face of a real or perceived threat (based on how you understand the situation). When your brain has detected a threat, various mechanisms are triggered to help you survive the threat. They are accompanied by physical reactions in your body that will generate energy to deal with the threat (adaptation and survival). When faced with stress, you either confront it by taking action, or you run away from it.
What is
hyperconnectivity?
Today, people are hyper-connected, using all kinds of digital devices and media, often linked together, to get information, to communicate, to be entertained, or all at the same time! This technology is so useful and captivating that we can hardly do without it. We use it at home, at school, at work and even at play (for example, have you never videoed a show to share with your friends?). The problem is that we give a lot of space in our lives to screens, sometimes to the detriment of other important activities or spheres of our existence.
What is
anxiety?
It is a normal adaptive emotion which lets you adjust to situations by allowing you to use your resources to “tame” life’s challenges in small steps. It is therefore necessary and useful. Anxiety arises from the anticipation of potential dangers (something not currently present) and is therefore linked to our perceptions of situations. It is a tendency to imagine catastrophic scenarios and to make yourself fearful about things that have not yet happened (you know, the little hamster of your thoughts that never stops?).
What is
trait anxiety?
The degree of anxiety can vary from one type of person to another. Trait anxiety is talked about in the scientific literature as a personality trait. People who experience more trait anxiety tend to perceive things as more threatening than others do.
When can anxiety
become a
problem?
Anxiety becomes a problem when it negatively affects your ability to function, causes you too much distress and makes you avoid anxiety-inducing situations. It is normal to experience anxiety as long as it doesn’t take over your life. Anxiety that is too intense or too frequent and persists over time (even if the threat is no longer there) may be an anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorders are the most frequent mental health problems experienced by youth.
What is
stress?
It is your body’s physiological reaction that is necessary in the face of a real or perceived threat (based on how you understand the situation). When your brain has detected a threat, various mechanisms are triggered to help you survive the threat. They are accompanied by physical reactions in your body that will generate energy to deal with the threat (adaptation and survival). When faced with stress, you either confront it by taking action, or you run away from it.
What is
fear?
It is an emotion that arises rapidly when you are exposed to an immediate danger or threat. Fear protects you because it is essential to increase your chances of survival. One area of your brain (amygdala) sounds the alarm, and the brain triggers a stress response in your body so that you can survive the danger (so that you can fight or flee from the threat).
What is
hyperconnectivity?
Today, people are hyper-connected, using all kinds of digital devices and media, often linked together, to get information, to communicate, to be entertained, or all at the same time! This technology is so useful and captivating that we can hardly do without it. We use it at home, at school, at work and even at play (for example, have you never videoed a show to share with your friends?). The problem is that we give a lot of space in our lives to screens, sometimes to the detriment of other important activities or spheres of our existence.
What is
addiction?
An addiction is a habit that takes up more and more space in someone’s life and causes consequences in various aspects of their life.
Adolescence is a period filled with challenges during which you will be called upon to make choices about your lifestyle. Some habits, though, entail greater risks than others. For example, use of substances such as nicotine, caffeine alcohol, etc., can have an impact on your life. Maybe you have heard about the use of these substances, and you are wondering about them. To ensure that you make informed choices, it is important to learn and talk about them!
References:
- www.stresshumain.ca, article: la peur, l’anxiété et le stress, comment pouvons-nous les distinguer(Fear, Anxiety and Stress, How to Tell Them Apart).
Adapted by the Public Health Department, CISSS des Laurentides. - Caroline Berthiaume, book: 10 questions sur l’anxiété chez l’enfant et l’adolescent (10 Questions about Anxiety in Children and Teenagers).
Adapted by the Public Health Department, CISSS des Laurentides. - www.pausetonecran.com
Adapted by the Public Health Department, CISSS des Laurentides.
Here are some tools that we hope will help you support the young people around you. Whether it is for better management of stress, anxiety or hyperconnectivity, we have a well-equipped toolbox to support you in your efforts. Thanks for making a difference!
If you need help urgently,
call Info-Social
at 811 then press 2
Here is a vast directory of resources to support you in your important intervention with our youth.
If you need help urgently,
call Info-Social
at 811 then press 2
Telephone help lines
and internet help sites
Organizations
Centre intégré de santé et de services sociaux des Laurentides
Offers information and referrals, one-time meetings and individual or group follow-up in the short and medium term.
Access for youth and their families
Contact Info-Social by calling 811 and pressing 2 for the Info-Social service.
Access for partners (schools, community organizations)
Centre d’évaluation neuropsychologique et d’orientation pédagogique (CENOP)
Private service providing stress-management program for adolescents.
Office in Sainte-Adèle, telephone: 1 877 858-6484
Relief
Non-profit organization that helps people with anxiety, depression or bipolar disorder and their families, in collaboration with the institutional and community mental health network. Provides a discussion forum, a helpline and online intervention.
Telephone : 1 866 738-4873
Phobies-Zéro
Helps manage anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders. Provides many services including helpline, mutual aid groups (Saint-Jérôme, Sainte-Thérèse) and online discussions.
Telephone : 1 866 922-0002
Halte des proches
Organization whose mission is to support, educate and accompany loved ones and others surrounding individuals suffering from a mental illness, through psychosocial counselling, training, conferences and appropriate professional services.
Services available across the entire Laurentian region.
Telephone : 1 800 663-0659
L’Antre Jeunes
Organization helping youth aged between 10 and 17 (maximum age at admission 15) experiencing various behavioural and/or attitude problems who want to change. Provides individual meetings and group activities.
Service office in Saint-Jérôme.
Telephone : 450 436-1547
Video clips (available in French only)
Les bulles de savon (Soap Bubbles) – Petit Bambou
Breathing Techniques
– visual clues
How Can I Feel Less
Stressed? – Tel-jeunes
Anxiety
Manage Your Stress
Performance Anxiety
The General Science of Stress
and Anxiety in Adolescents
4 Researchers and a Virus (COVID-19Pandemic):
FourResearchers and a Virus:
STRESS COVID
FourResearchers and a Virus:
BACK TO SCHOOL SPECIAL
FourResearchers and a Virus:
QUESTIONS
1. What is the impact of the media on the stress response?
2. Do negative and positive emotions have the same value?
3. Can the stress that I feel today, sometimes for no apparent reason, be related to stressors that were not managed during my childhood?
4. Is it possible that one stress (COVID) triggers hypervigilance and leads to other stresses?
FourResearchers and a Virus:
QUESTIONS
1. What are the sources of anxiety and at what age does it begin?
2. Are stomach-aches caused by stress or by something else?
3. Can watching a calm person help us calm down?
4. How do you control your emotions?
2. Are stomach-aches caused by stress or by something else?
3. Can watching a calm person help us calm down?
4. How do you control your emotions?
FourResearchers and a Virus:
QUESTIONS
1. How does fear work?
2. Why am I stressed?
3. How do I learn to live with stress?
4. Can I convince myself that a stress factor does not represent a danger?
Informative Websites
Rain or shine
Tools to support the development of youth's social and personal competences and the creation of favorable environments for their mental health.
Gouvernement du Québec
– Anxiety in Children
Extracts from the educational activities guide
What is mental health?
Stress management
Self-esteem
Recognizing and expressing emotions
Controlling your internal dialog
Books and Comics
To print to help teachers and parents address certain topics with their children.
4 deep breathing techniques
using shapes
When you're feeling stressed or overwhelmed, try these 4 deep breathing techniques using shapes to regain your composure.
University of Sherbrooke –
RBC Center for Expertise in Mental Health
Strategies to manage my stress
Conseil québécois sur le tabac et la santé
Tools for preventing the consumption of tobacco and vaping products, for stakeholders and parents who wish to talk about these issues with young people.
4 deep breathing techniques
using shapes
When you're feeling stressed or overwhelmed, try these 4 deep breathing techniques using shapes to regain your composure.
Books and Games
Par amour du stress
by Sonia Lupien
Attention, enfant sous tension!
Le stress chez l’enfant
by Germain Duclos
L’estime de soi de nos adolescents : Guide pratique à l’intention
des parents
by Germain Duclos, Danielle Laporte and Jacques Ross
Restructuration cognitive 101
by Clinique Focus
Anxiété : La boîte à outils
by Ariane Hébert
L’anxiété racontée aux enfants
by Ariane Hébert
Calme et attentif comme une grenouille
by Eline Snel and Christophe André
Le blogue d’Alex: surmonter
l’anxiété à l’adolescence
by Nathalie Parent
Le stress… ça me stresse!!!
by Trevor Romain and Elizabeth Verdik
Incroyable Moi maîtrise son anxiété
Editions Midi trente
Collection Super Héros
10 questions sur l’anxiété chez l’enfant
Editions Midi trente
ZENDA, un jeu québécois pour aider les jeunes à gérer le stress
Edition Placote
Hyperconnectivity / Cyberaddiction
Dépendance aux jeux vidéo (Videogame addiction)
Impact des médias sociaux (Impact of social media)
Podcasts
Le guide de survie
des Débrouillards (The Débrouillards’survival guide)
Mieux affronter le stress avec les conseils de Sonia Lupien (Coping with stress with Sonia Lupien'sadvice)
Comprendre le stress
et l'anxiété (Understanding stress and anxiety)
Addiction / Vaping
Do you smoke or do you vape… a little, a lot, too much? Do you want to talk about it, decrease or stop? There are several resources and services to support you!
Help in person
The CISSS des Laurentides smoking cessation centers offer free information and support services to learn how to quit vaping or smoking. Individual or group appointments with a specially trained nurse: 1 844-440-AIDE (2433)
Mobile apps
SMAT (SMS)
Tips, encouragement and information by SMS on your cell phone to help you quit vaping or smoking. Available 24 hours a day. 7 days on 7.
Registration :
text the word SMAT to 20202 or
QUASH
The Quash application will allow you to learn more about yourself. You will be able to identify triggers, record your cravings and access tools that will help you stay on track and develop your own plan to quit vaping or smoking.
Online help
Québec Sans Tabac
Consult the Quebec Without Tobacco website for ideas, simple exercises or for support from a professional.
Break the illusion
What you know about vaping
is it true?
Conseil québécois sur le tabac et la santé
Consult the Conseil québécois sur le tabac et la santé website for theoretical and practical tools relevant to interveners, as well as to parents who wish to discuss these issues with young people.
Help by phone
I QUIT NOW
In this kit you will find files to help you promote and implement the Respire campaign in your organization.
Facebook banner and website
The Tangage organization joins the Respire prevention campaign. Tangage is a community group whose mission is the prevention of addictions through the promotion of healthy lifestyles. This beautiful collaboration aims to offer tools that can support you in the Tangage: Pause your vape challenge
To stop vaping, to reduce your nicotine level or to reduce the number of pods you consume in a week?
It starts here
👇