Ready to go!
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You understand how your brain works.
You know how thoughts, feelings, and actions are connected. You understand what you are supposed to know at your age. You are ready to make a goal! (loud groan) Relax. You need to choose a goal because everyone is different. It's also because you have to start small and build up to big things. Goals are a big part of growing up and social emotional learning. Click on the box for your age to see what level your goal should be. If you've ever done a little thing called school, you've already worked towards goals. Only you didn't know it. That's why you don't learn multiplication in kindergarten. You gotta build up to it. |
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Make a Plan
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It's important to have a plan in the event of an emergency. If there's a fire, you have to know what to do.
Social anxiety kinda feels like a fire. It burns, you get sweaty, you try to grab all the things you think are important and run. So, make a plan. In our workbook we walk you through it. You can also carry around our anxiety journal (that's how it all started, actually. We made journals and carried them with us like a security blanket) We linked a free worksheet in the box to the left if you'd like a little peek at our process! |
Choosing goals
When you start a journey, you have to plan. Your destination is your main goal. Congrats! You already have a goal! It's managing social anxiety.
Here's the thing. That's a huge goal. It's like traveling to another galaxy. You're going to need to make smaller goals on your way there so you don't get bored or think you're hungry every five minutes or feel like you have to go the bathroom all the time.
Making small goals helps you focus on small victories that keep you motivated to go all the way.
So, how do you choose a goal? Glad you asked.
Here's the thing. That's a huge goal. It's like traveling to another galaxy. You're going to need to make smaller goals on your way there so you don't get bored or think you're hungry every five minutes or feel like you have to go the bathroom all the time.
Making small goals helps you focus on small victories that keep you motivated to go all the way.
So, how do you choose a goal? Glad you asked.
SMART Goals
SMART goals for each step will not only help you track your progress, but it will help you organize your way through managing social anxiety. Click on the box above to download your free SMART goal worksheet to get started!
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If you've never heard of SMART goals, that's okay. Actually, it means you're way ahead! SMART goals are introduced in middle school and HIGH SCHOOLERS are supposed to use them. So after this, you can go to high school.
It's cool if you just want to stay and your grade and learn, too. SMART is an acronym (each capitol letter is the first letter of a word). Your goals should be specific, or as precise as possible. They should be measurable so you know if you're done. They have to be achievable, relevant (on topic), and time bound (by a certain date). What kind of goals are we looking at here? If you're anything like us, you might be overwhelmed with all the steps you need to take in order to tackle social anxiety. Start with small steps that help you manage your anxiety like the ones we talk about in Strategies (the sun link to the left) Or start with Identify (linked to the left) and make some goals. Download the worksheet to see an example and get started! |
Achieving Goals
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It's hard to achieve goals, even when you have small steps. Why is it so hard? Because you have to do it. All of it. And sometimes you don't want to.
We're really good at writing goals, but some days we just don't feel like it. Or something cool pops up and we just don't do it for one day. And then one day turns into a week. And we forget about it. So what's the secret to getting it done? Oh nothing. Just a little thing called self-control. and persistence and self-efficacy. |
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Handling the Pressure
You're all set with your goals, and you're about halfway through your steps to achieve the goal. Then it's time for vacation and you just want to play and hang out. Or you share your goal with a friend who thinks the goal is silly.
How do you handle it?
Do you think negative thoughts about yourself when vacation is over?
What if your friend is right?
Click here or the box above to learn more about handling the pressure with self-compassion.
Click the peer pressure box to learn more about peer pressure.
How do you handle it?
Do you think negative thoughts about yourself when vacation is over?
What if your friend is right?
Click here or the box above to learn more about handling the pressure with self-compassion.
Click the peer pressure box to learn more about peer pressure.
Optimism
Everyone feels discouraged or disappointed sometimes. How you make it through those hard times depends on how optimistic you are.
Being optimistic, or seeing the positive in a situation, and being pessimistic, or seeing the negative side of things, are mindsets. Mindsets are a way of thinking.
Mindsets can be changed.
Click here to learn more about how!
Being optimistic, or seeing the positive in a situation, and being pessimistic, or seeing the negative side of things, are mindsets. Mindsets are a way of thinking.
Mindsets can be changed.
Click here to learn more about how!
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