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Anxieties and Fears
Before we start……..
Everyone is worried or afraid of something. Fear of exams, anxiety about what you are going to do in the
future, fear of animals, fear of talking in front of a large group are only some of the fears we all face at
one time or another. It often helps to examine these fears and try to understand them. Maybe we can
overcome some fears if we can face them or learn to handle them better. This ninth SLU, 'Anxieties and
Fears' has some challenging activities that may help you understand your own and other people's fears.
Some things to keep in mind
Before doing the activities keep the following points in mind.
As you go along doing the activities in this SLU, you may think of fears and anxieties that you or
your friends have faced. You may want to share your thoughts with your friends and get to know
what they think. Sometimes, just bringing these thoughts out in the open can do wonders to
reduce your fears. Try it out!
These activities don't get 'finished' - you can come back to them later and work through them in
a different way as your understanding about your anxieties and fears deepens and grows.
Let us know about your experience of working with this SLU. You can get in touch with IgnusERG
through your teachers.
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What I was afraid of at the age 5 or 6
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What I am afraid of now
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Activity - 1: Past and present
What were you afraid of when you were five or six years old? Do you still have those fears and anxieties?
Which ones do you still have? Have you developed new anxieties? List them in the table below.
Share your list of anxieties and fears with your friends. Find out how much you have in common with
your friends.
Do any of them have the same fears as you?
Do your friends have any fears that you think are strange?
Do your friends think that any of your fears are strange?
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Activity - 2: Overcoming fear
I live in an old house which is surrounded by fields. There are very few houses close by. My
nearest neighbour lives at least three miles away. Most days I love my life and I'm happy to
spend my time with Chhotu, my dog, and Chhoti, my cat. But there are days when I become
terribly afraid. At least three or four times in a year we have these wild thunderstorms when
it pours with rain and the wind blows madly. I don't mind the wind and the rain but when the
thunder and lightning start, I become very afraid. Chhotu too is terrified of thunderstorms
and whenever a storm begins, he jumps into my lap. I put my arms around him and whisper
to him to calm him down. I tell him over and over again that everything will be fine, and
continue to whisper to him till the storm passes. And we have always been fine.
Chhoti doesn't care. Storms don't bother her.
Can you think of an interesting story about how someone overcame these fears?
Fear of dogs
Fear of being in a crowd
Fear of the dark
Write the story in your notebook.
Activity - 3: Does fear help?
Sometimes fear can be useful. It can actually help you to achieve something. Read the situation below to
find out how.
Sonakshi was selected to deliver a speech in the morning assembly by her classmates. No one knew that
she had stage fear because she always looked so confident. As the day came closer she became nervous
and afraid.
'How can I face the whole assembly?' she thought. 'I'm going to make a fool of myself and everyone will
laugh at me.'
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'1 have to do something about this,' she said, and she came up with a plan.
She wrote down the major points for her speech.
She showed them to her teacher, and asked her teacher for some suggestions.
She added the points her teacher suggested.
Then she rehearsed the speech alone.
After that she asked a group of friends to listen to her speech and give her suggestions.
She added some of their suggestions too and improved her speech.
Finally on the morning of the assembly, she delivered the speech superbly.
A little bit of fear can help, can't it?
How will you overcome the fear of exams? Can you list out the steps you can take to overcome this
fear?
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Activity - 4: I don't want to ... because
Why do certain things make us afraid? Here are some things that people say they are frightened of. Can
you think of reasons why they are afraid? Write them in the space below each sentence. The first one is
done for you.
I don't want to watch a circus because I am afraid something will happen to the people who
swing on ropes high above the ground.
I don't like to ride on a giant ferris wheel because ……………………………………………………..
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I don't like to bathe in the river because ………………………………………………………………..
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I don't like clowns because because ……………………………………………………………………..
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Can you add more sentences like these?
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Activity - 5: How do you help someone who is afraid?
When someone says that he or she is afraid of something, people often say, 'Don't be silly! What's there
to be scared of?' OR 'How can you be scared of that? Look at me. I'm not scared.'
Do you think this helps the person who is scared? Of course not!
How would you help someone who wants to:
learn to swim but is afraid of water?
ride a bicycle but is afraid of falling?
send a play or short story, that she or he has written, to a magazine, but is afraid that the magazine
will not publish it?
What would you say and do? Write down a few points for each of the situations in the space below.
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Activity - 6: Idioms and phrases about fear
Read the sentences below. Can you think of another situation when you can use the underlined idioms
or words related to fear and anxiety? Write a few lines describing the situation in the space below each
sentence. Remember to use the idiom or word.
It was Sana's first day in her new school. She had butterflies in her stomach as she entered her new class
and saw everyone staring at her.
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My aunt is terrified of cats. Whenever a cat come close to her, she screams so loudly that the cat runs
away. I think cats are terrified of my aunt too!
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Abhinav saw the snake on the opposite side of the road. It was too far away to do anything but when it
raised its head and looked at him, Abhinav broke out in a cold sweat.
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Farid was waiting for his uncle at the station. They were both going to travel to Bhubaneswar. The train
was supposed to leave at 4 o'clock. At 3.45 his uncle had still not come. Farid began to get anxious and
worried. He took out his mobile phone to call his uncle. Just then his uncle came running towards him on
the platform.
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Activity - 7: The things people do because they are afraid
Have you noticed people doing strange things because they are afraid? For example, some people lock
their houses before going to work. Then instead of going on to work, they return two or three times to
make sure that they have really locked the door before they are finally satisfied.
Can you write down two or three strange habits you have noticed among people you know?
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Do you have any fears that other people may find strange but are very real to you? Why don't you write
them down too? You don't have to share your thoughts with anyone.
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Activity - 8: A very short story
With his blue cloak flying in the wind, he watched the duck waddle across the road. His face
was dripping with sweat and he could not see clearly. His eyes blurred and then cleared. He
felt sick in the stomach. He trembled all over with fear.
The duck! Its beak, its webbed feet, its oily feathers and its blank, empty eyes - sent a shiver
down his spine. As he was staring at it, he saw a little girl following the duck, crossing the
road, behind it. She was only about three feet tall. She ran behind the duck, calling to it, her
plump arms stretched towards it.
He tried to move, to save her from this bird of terror. But his feet were stuck to the ground.
He couldn't move. The little girl ran towards the duck, calling out in a clear, high voice. The
duck stopped, as if hearing her, and turned its head in her direction. She giggled and ran
forward.
Terror gripped the man. He finally managed to move forward, only to see the little girl pick
up the feathery creature and kiss it all over its smooth head. The duck quacked cheerfully and
fluttered its wings.
Superman sank to his knees in horror. His biggest fear was the little girl's best friend!
Can you illustrate this story? If this story could be turned into a comic strip, how many
illustrations do you think it should have? Can you divide the lines of the story according to the
number of illustrations? You could also give a description of the illustration or do the illustration
yourself. E.g.
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Picture 1
(A man with a flying cloak staring at a duck, etc.)
With his blue cloak flying in the wind ...
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Picture 2
Can you give the story an interesting title?
About this SLU
• Did you enjoy the activities in this SLU ?
• Do you think they have helped you to understand yourself and others in any way ?
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