Now that you know why it鈥檚 important to face your fears, you are ready to make your own mission plan! You and your parent will work together to make a plan just like Neil did.
Here are the steps to create a mission plan. You will also see how Neil created his own mission plan:
- Step 1: Choose the first fear that you will work on
- Step 2: Choose a specific mission plan goal with your parent
- Step 3: Brainstorm different steps for your mission plan
- Step 4: Using the anxiety scale, give each activity a fear rating 0-10
- Step 5: Order the steps from least to most scary
- Step 6: Choose a different reward or number of points for each
On the next pages, you will go through each step with your parent. Fill out one of the 鈥淏rainstorming Mission Plan Steps鈥 worksheets below as you work through each step.
- Use if you are writing out your answers.
- Use if you are typing your answers on the computer.
Or make your own Brainstorming Mission Plan Steps by recording this information:
- Target Fear:
- Mission Plan Goal:
- Possible Steps:
Look at the Fears and Worries Checklist you filled out back in Week 1. With your parent, choose the target fear that you would like to work on first. Your parent will help you decide which one you should start with! Then, write down your target fear on the 鈥淏rainstorming Mission Plan Steps鈥 worksheet.
You just picked the first fear that you want to work on. Now, work with your parent to pick a specific mission plan goal. This will be a specific activity that you want to be able to do by the end of the mission plan, like 鈥渇all asleep with no lights on鈥 or 鈥渁sk 3 questions in school.鈥 Then, write down your mission plan goal on the 鈥淏rainstorming Mission Plan Steps鈥 worksheet.
What are some steps between now and your mission plan goal? Try to come up with super easy steps and then some tougher ones to get you closer to your goal. Read what Neil came up with to understand how this works:
Neil is afraid of the dark. He is afraid of sleeping in the dark by himself. Right now, he has five nightlights in his room. His goal is to be able to fall asleep by himself in the dark with one nightlight on. Neil and his mom thought about different ways that she could get used being in the dark. They thought about the time spent in the dark and whether Neil would be with his mom or without his mom.
This is what Neil and his mom came up with:
- Neil is in a dark room with his mom for 2 minutes (at night).
- Neil is in a dark room with his mom for 2 minutes (during the day).
- Neil will stay in bed for 10 minutes with his mom sitting in a chair outside his room that he can see from his bed. If he does not fall asleep in that time, his mom will return to his bedside (like usual). His nightlight is on.
- Neil will stay in bed for 10 minutes with his mom in a different part of the house. If he does not fall asleep in that time, his mom will move closer to his room. His nightlight is on.
- Neil is by himself in a room with his nightlight on for 2-3 minutes (during the day).
- Neil will stay in bed for 10 minutes with his mom sitting in a chair outside his room that he cannot see. If he does not fall asleep in that time, his mom will move the chair where it is visible. His nightlight is on.
- Neil is by himself in a room with his nightlight on for 2-3 minutes (at night).
A 0 means that it does not scare you at all, and a 10 means that it is the scariest thing you could do. The numbers can be hard to think about for some people- you can also say 鈥渆asy,鈥 鈥渕edium,鈥 or 鈥渉ard鈥 for each idea.
This is how Neil rated some of his steps:
| Step | Anxiety Rating 0-10 OR Easy - Medium - Hard |
|---|---|
| Neil is in a dark room with his mom for 2 minutes (at night). | 2 |
| Neil is in a dark room with his mom for 2 minutes (during the day). | 1 |
| Neil will stay in bed for 10 minutes with his mom sitting in a chair outside his room that he can see from his bed. If he does not fall asleep in that time, his mom will return to his bedside (like usual). His nightlight is on. | 7 |
| Neil will stay in bed for 10 minutes with his mom in a different part of the house. If he does not fall asleep in that time, his mom will move closer to his room. His nightlight is on. | 9 |
| Neil is by himself in a room with his nightlight on for 2-3 minutes (during the day). | 3 |
| Neil will stay in bed for 10 minutes with his mom sitting in a chair outside his room that he cannot see. If he does not fall asleep in that time, his mom will move the chair where it is visible. His nightlight is on. | 8 |
| Neil is by himself in a room with his nightlight on for 2-3 minutes (at night). | 5 |
Order each step from the things that give you least anxiety to most anxiety. Completing the step that gives you most anxiety should be your final goal!
Here is Neil鈥檚 plan:
| Step | Anxiety Rating 0-10 OR Easy - Medium - Hard |
|---|---|
| Neil is in a dark room with his mom for 2 minutes (during the day). | 1 |
| Neil is in a dark room with his mom for 2 minutes (at night). | 2 |
| Neil is by himself in a room with his nightlight on for 2-3 minutes (during the day). | 3 |
| Neil is by himself in a room with his nightlight on for 2-3 minutes (at night). | 5 |
| Neil will stay in bed for 10 minutes with his mom sitting in a chair outside his room that he can see from his bed. If he does not fall asleep in that time, his mom will return to his bedside (like usual). His nightlight is on. | 7 |
| Neil will stay in bed for 10 minutes with his mom sitting in a chair outside his room that he cannot see. If he does not fall asleep in that time, his mom will move the chair where it is visible. Nightlight on. | 8 |
| Neil will stay in bed for 10 minutes with his mom in a different part of the house. If he does not fall asleep in that time, his mom will move closer to his room. His nightlight is on. | 9 |
The biggest reward should go with the highest anxiety (higher scores on the anxiety scale), and the smallest reward should go with the lowest anxiety (lower scores on the anxiety scale).
Download a .
| Step | Anxiety Rating 0-10 OR Easy - Medium - Hard | Reward / Brave Bucks |
|---|---|---|
| Neil is in a dark room with his mom for 2 minutes (during the day). | 1 | 10 extra minutes of screen time |
| Neil is in a dark room with his mom for 2 minutes (at night). | 2 | Choosing breakfast |
| Neil is by himself in a room with his nightlight on for 2-3 minutes (during the day). | 3 | Choosing a board game for family game night |
| Neil is by himself in a room with his nightlight on for 2-3 minutes (at night). | 5 | Choosing a toy to bring in the car on the way to school |
| Neil will stay in bed for 10 minutes with his mom sitting in a chair outside his room that he can see from his bed. If he does not fall asleep in that time, his mom will return to his bedside (like usual). His nightlight is on. | 7 | Screen time on the drive to school |
| Neil will stay in bed for 10 minutes with his mom sitting in a chair outside his room that he cannot see. If he does not fall asleep in that time, his mom will move the chair where it is visible. His nightlight is on. | 8 | Neil can bring his dog on the drive to and from school |
| Neil will stay in bed for 10 minutes with his mom in a different part of the house. If he does not fall asleep in that time, his mom will move closer to his room. His nightlight is on. | 9 | Day trip to NASA and a souvenier |
Create your first Mission Plan
Congratulations! Now you learned all the steps you need to know to make your first mission plan. Use this and come up with your own mission plan with your parent! Think about some ways that you can slowly get used to your own fear, give your anxiety ratings next to each step, order the steps and write down your rewards!