For mission plans to work, you need to practice them as much as you can. Try to practice every day. While it might be hard to get started, the more you practice, the easier it will get, and you will get closer and closer to reaching your goal! You will also get rewards along the way!
You will start by practicing the first step of your mission plan, which you can choose with your parent. It’s okay if you plan to just practice the first step multiple times your first week. Sometimes it takes doing a step a few times for it to feel easier. Once the step you are practicing starts to feel easier, it is time to start practicing the next step of your mission plan.
Keep Track of Your Practice
You will also keep track of all the different times you practice a step using the blank practice log at the end of this week’s materials. On the log, you will write what step you did, when you did it, and the reward you earned. You will also note your anxiety scale ratings before, during, and after each step.
Here is an example from Sally's Practice Log.
Practicing Mission Plan Steps
You might feel anxious right before it is time to practice a step – that’s okay! Remind yourself that it will get easier after you practice and that you will earn a reward for doing it. You can also use the coping skills you learned earlier in LUNA to help you feel calm before or during a step.
For some steps, it is easy to know when it is over, because you have finished the task (like when Sally sat down with a new group at lunch). For other steps, it can be hard to know how long a step should last. For example, if one of Sally’s steps was to go to a birthday party, how long would she have to stay there? For these steps, it is important to keep doing the step until your anxiety scale rating goes down and it starts to feel easier.
After Mission Plan Practice
After each step, make sure to write it down in your practice log, and then talk with your parent about how it went. Here are some things you can talk about:
- What did you learn about your worry/fear?
- How did your anxiety feelings change?
- How did you cope with your anxiety?
- What did you do well?
- How do you think the next practice will go?
The other important thing to do after you practice a step is enjoy your reward and tell yourself, “Good job”! Facing your fears can be hard work, so it is important to celebrate your practice and progress!
Here's a Mission Plan Practice Log you can use with your parent. Or make your own using the template below:
| Date | Mission Plan Practice Activity | Reward | Anxiety Dial Rating 0-10 or Easy | Medium | Hard |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Before | During | After | |||
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Planning Your Practice
This week, and most weeks for the rest of LUNA, you will spend most of your time doing steps of your mission plan. You can use this Weekly Practice Plan to plan when you will try each step. Or, use this prompt to make your own:
Create several lists of the days of the week along with the word "Step." Use this to plan when to practice steps in your mission plan.
