Now that you’ve learned why it’s helpful to expose yourself to your anxieties, you are ready to make your own plan of action similar to Sophia and George’s. Below are the steps for making a Plan of Action:
Here are the steps for making a Plan of Action (View a PDF version):
- Choose the first fear, anxiety, or worry you want to tackle
- Choose a specific goal you want to reach based on the anxiety you chose
- Brainstorm different steps or exposure activities to complete (these steps will make up your plan of action)
- Give each exposure activity a rating using the anxiety intensity scale
- Order the activities from least to most scary
- Choose a motivation booster or number of points for each activity
Now you will use the steps above along with the My Plan of Action worksheet to create your own plan.
Step 1: Choose the first fear, anxiety, or worry you want to tackle
Look at the Fears and Worries Checklist you filled out back in Module 1. Now, choose which target fear you would like to work on first. Your parent may give you helpful advice or feedback about which fear you should choose if you need help deciding.
Here are some guidelines to consider when choosing your first fear or worry:
- How clear is it – are there clear and straightforward possibilities for steps you can take to face this fear?
- Frequency – will there be frequent opportunities to practice facing this fear?
- Importance – are you motivated to get over this fear?
It can also help to write about your fear. Using the “Choosing a Target Fear” worksheet, take some time to think about and write down anything you want to about the fear you chose.
As you write about your fear, think about the following things:
- Are you motivated to overcome this fear?
- Has this fear ever stopped you from doing something you wanted or needed to do?
- Think of some times you felt this fear. What happened?
Then, look over what you wrote down. Writing about your fear may help you:
- Decide if this is a good target fear to tackle
- Begin thinking about the goal you want to reach
- Come up with ideas for exposure activities or steps to take to reach your goal and overcome this fear
After looking over the Choosing a Target Fear worksheet, write down the fear you chose at the top of your My Plan of Action worksheet.
Step 2: Choose a specific goal you want to reach based on the anxiety you chose
You just picked the first anxiety that you want to overcome. Now, you need to choose a goal for your plan of action. Your goal should be something specific that you want to be able to do by the end of your plan. You may get some ideas from the writing exercise you did in step one, or from the goals worksheet in Module 1. Once you have a goal, write it down at the top of your My Plan of Action worksheet and write it again at the very bottom of the worksheet.
Please write down your goal here as well:
Step 3: Brainstorm different steps or exposure activities to complete
Remember, overcoming your fears takes time. We do not expect you to wake up tomorrow and achieve the goal you wrote down in step two. Instead, we would like you to come up with some activities that will help you work up to your goal activity. Try to come up with easier exposure activities and then some harder ones to get you closer to your goal. The writing exercise you did in step one may be helpful for coming up with ideas. Looking back at Module 3 may also be helpful as you think of what you’ve been avoiding because of your fears and worries. There is no set number of activities required for your plan of action, but the activities you choose should cover the whole span of the anxiety intensity scale (from 1 or 2 all the way up to 10).
Here are some tips to help you create activities for your plan of action (View a PDF version).
Once you have a list of possible activities for your plan of action, read back through them to make sure that they all relate to the same fear, are specific enough, and that you have enough opportunities to do them. Be sure to include specific details, so that you know exactly what you will do.
Sophia is afraid of other people judging her, so she struggles to talk in front of groups of people. Her goal is to eventually give a presentation in front of her history class at school. She has been assigned presentations before, but she gets so nervous that she misses school on the day she is supposed to present. With her mom's help, Sophia thinks about different ways she could challenge herself to talk to more peers and in front of groups. Sophia considered factors like the size of the group, the length of the conversation, the topic of the conversation, and the level of familiarity with the people in the situation.
These are the steps that Sophia and her mom came up with.
George also created a plan of action to help him overcome his fear of germs. Here are the steps he came up with.
Step 4: Give each exposure activity a rating using the anxiety intensity scale
Look at the anxiety intensity scale to rate activities. As a reminder, a rating of 0 means that it does not scare you at all, and a 10 means that it is the scariest thing you could do. Look back at the plan of action examples from Sophia and George to see how they rated their exposure activities.
Step 5: Order the activities from least to most scary
Completing the activity that gives you the most anxiety should be your final goal. It can be helpful to transfer your possible activities onto post its, notecards, or small slips of paper for this process, so they are easy to move around as you develop your plan of action. Also, know that it is okay if you eliminate some steps during this process. Look back at the plan of action examples from Sophia and George to see how they ordered their exposure activities.
Once you have put the activities in order of difficulty, reflect on the entire plan of action and make sure that no two activities in a row would be too big of a jump. For example, if your first two activities are rated 1 and 2 on the anxiety intensity scale and the next one is a 6, you should go back and brainstorm some activities that will be harder than the first two, but easier than the one that is rated a 6. Also, make sure the first activity in your plan of action is something you can try today or tomorrow. As you conquer your first few activities, you will begin feeling more confident about facing the harder ones.
Step 6: Choose a motivation booster for each activity OR decide how many points you will get for completing each activity
Facing your fear is difficult, so rewards may be helpful for you as you complete the activities in your plan of action. Look back at your Motivation Booster worksheet that you filled out in Module 2. If you would like to use points, then decide how many points you will get for completing each activity in your plan of action using this worksheet: My Plan of Action + Points. If you decide not to use points, then choose what motivation booster you will get for completing each activity using this worksheet: My Plan of Action + Motivation Boosters. You should award the most points to the activity with the highest anxiety rating, and the least points to the activity with the lowest anxiety rating. Similarly, for motivation boosters, you should assign the biggest reward to the activity with the highest anxiety rating and the smallest reward to the activity with the lowest anxiety rating.
Here are some examples from Sophia’s Plan of Action:
Create Your First Plan of Action
Congratulations! Now you’ve learned all the steps you need to know to make your first plan of action. Use the “My Plan of Action” worksheet and come up with your own plan of action. Don’t forget to discuss this with your parent and ask them for help if you are stuck on any step.
