Table of Contents
A Letter to Parents ix
Chapter 1 Questions and Answers 1
What Is Anxiety? 2
Why Do We Worry? 4
How We Deal with Danger: Fight, Flight, Freeze, and Beyond 5
Who Has Fears and Worries? 13
Why Do Some People Worry More? 15
What Is Imagination Good For? 17
Can I Become the Boss of My Imagination? 18
What Happens When We Hide Our Fears and Worries? 20
What Can We Do with Our Fears and Worries? 22
Chapter 2 Getting to Know More About Me 23
Things I'm Already Good At 24
I'm More than My Worries 25
Chapter 3 Getting to Know More About Fears and Worries 27
Common Fears and Worries 28
Learning About My Fears and Worries 30
My Fears and Worries 31
When Are My Worries Around? 32
What Are Body Clues? 33
Common Body Clues 34
What Is Happening in My Body? 35
The Brain and the Body 36
My Body Clues 40
Chapter 4 Taking Charge of My Mind and Body 41
My Skills and Strategies 42
My Very Own Worry Box 43
Some Things Other Kids Found Helpful 45
Mind and Body Training: Relaxation and Mindfulness 46
My Relaxation Ideas 47
The Body Stress Test 48
The Body Scan 49
My Relaxation List 50
Deep Belly Breathing 51
Muscle Relaxation: A Trip to the Circus 52
Making a Stress Ball 62
Creating My Own Peaceful Place 63
Mindfulness Meditation 67
Bubble Meditation 69
Brain Breathing 71
Making a Feeling Jar 72
Taking Charge of My Thoughts 74
The Worry Leap Frog Game 76
Act Positive to Feel Positive 79
Talking to Others 80
Being Assertive (Standing Up for Myself) 81
Chapter 5 Taking Charge of Worries About Real Things 85
Problem Solving 87
Facing Fears: Step-by-Step 92
Making a Step-by-Step Plan 97
Chapter 6 Taking Charge of My Imagination 99
Worry 101
My Worry Buddy 104
"Even Though…" 106
Taking a Break from Worry 107
Draw the Scary Thing… 108
…Now Change It 109
Mastering the Worry 110
How I've Changed 112
Taking Charge of My Worries 113
Sharing My Success 114
Chapter 7 Remembering and Staying Motivated 115
Worry Scale 116
Make It a Competition 117
Remember 118
My Very Own Worry Plan Poster 119