Behavior Makeover: Anxiety

Makeover Pledge
How will you use the four steps and the Behavior Makeover Plan to help your child achieve long-term change in reducing stress? On the lines below, write exactly what you agree to do within the next twenty-four hours to begin your kid's behavior makeover.

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Makeover Results
All behavior makeovers take hard work, constant practice, and parental reinforcement. Each step your kid takes toward change may be a small one, so be sure to acknowledge and congratulate every one of them along the way. It takes a minimum of twenty-one days to see real results, so don't give up too soon. Remember that if one strategy doesn't work, another will. Write your child's weekly progress on the lines below. Keep track of daily progress in your Makeover Journal.

Week 1

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Week 2

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Week 3

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Resources

Kidstress, by Georgia Witkin (New York: Viking, 1999). What causes kids' stress and practical ideas to alleviate it.

Stress and Your Child, by Bettie B. Youngs (New York: Fawcett, 1995). Stress management strategies for kids to use at home and school.

The Hurried Child: Growing Up Too Fast Too Soon, by David Elkind (Reading, Mass.: Addison-Wesley, 1981). Published over two decades ago, this classic is still pertinent today.

The Over-Scheduled Child: Avoiding the Hyper-Parenting Trap, by Alvin Rosenfeld and Nicole Wise (New York: Griffin Trade, 2001). The authors make a compelling argument against what they consider "hyperparenting" and the impact it has on kids.

Your Anxious Child: How Parents and Teachers Can Relieve Anxiety in Children, by John S. Dacey and Lisa B. Fiore (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2000). Proven ways to help kids handle stress and cope with difficulties more confidently.

Don't Pop Your Cork on Mondays: The Children's Anti-Stress Book, by Adolph J. Moser (Kansas City, Mo.: Landmark Editions, 1988). A wonderfully informative handbook that explores the causes and effects of stress and offers practical approaches for dealing with stress factors. Ages 7 to 12.