Catch, W.A.I.T and RESET. The new methods which help students identify anxiety and handle it in a more productive manner…

Regardless of your kids age, as they start heading into school and the years become more and more important, their stress and anxiety can become an issue.

Kids these days have stresses like we have never had before. Back in the day we went to school, we came home and unless we decided to call our friends on the landline or use our dial up internet to jump onto ICQ or MSN, we were removed from what everyone else was doing. These days kids are confronted with social media stirring up feelings of FOMO, editing apps encouraging kids to compare themselves and of course in some cases there is online bullying at play. All this in addition to the obvious stresses of exams and finals.

Luke Mathers is a stress expert and an author who has paired up with Ally Shorter, an 18 year old who lost a good friend to suicide when they were 16.

The duo decided to get together to create a book, written as a parable which they aim to get into every grade 11 and 12 students hands to help them learn to reframe anxiety and stress and to see that there is light at the end of the tunnel before they hit their final years of school.

One method that they highlight is the Catch, W.A.I.T and RESET method designed to help catch feelings of anxiety and reframe them.

What is the Catch, W.A.I.T + RESET method?

Step 1- “Catch”

Physical reactions of anxiety may include clenching fists or teeth, knots in the stomach or an elevated heart rate. Catch yourself when you start feeling this and instead of allowing it to make you more anxious, get curious about why you are feeling this way

Step 2: W.A.I.T 

W.A.I.T stands for “What am I thinking”. In this step think what are you thinking, why are your thinking it and is it helping. This part is about self awareness. Move the narrative in your heads from feeling threatened to it being a challenge 

Step 3: RESET – Control – ALT – Delete. 

Kids these days love technology and just like when a computer is overwhelmed we press Control/ALT/ Delete to reset everything and start again. So think to yourself. What can I control, what can I delete and get off my plate and what are my ALTernative  

If you would like to investigate running a RESET program in your school or workplace contact Luke Mathers.

About the Book


“RESET- Choose your story” is a short book written as a parable which is an easy read that is packed full with a lot of great life lessons. Written from the perspective of two characters, RESET centres on the stories of Amy, who is returning to grade 12 after losing her best friend who died, and Zac who is popular but is struggling with a lack of motivation, stress, loneliness and is turning to drugs. 

The book is co-written by Ally Shorter, a 2020-year 12 graduate who draws on her personal experience of losing a close friend to suicide in 2018 to help frame the story of “Amy”.

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