An Anxiety Workbook for Children

Facilitator Notes
This is an anxiety workbook for children age 5-11. The story about
Mighty Moe relates directly to the material in the workbook, and can
be used as a reference to enhance the childs understanding of the
content. The language and concepts in this manual are concrete and
have been simplified to facilitate the childs comprehension.
Any child using this workbook should do so with the guidance of a
parent, counsellor, or other qualified mental health professional.
Children should not be expected to work through this book on their
own. Although concepts have been simplified to maximize the childs
independent use of this book, support is still required to ensure
comprehension and maximum benefit.
The language in this workbook is broad. Specific reference is made to
worries and a definition is given. Throughout the book, anxiety is
typically referred to simply, as BIG feelings. This allows for the child
to attach their own personal meaning to their experience of anxiety.
For some children, anxiety presents as anger or intense sadness.
Although the term BIG feelings is broad, the facilitator should help
the child identify this connection between feeling states while keeping
the focus on the root causes of the childs anxiety.
The Best Practice Guidelines for managing anxiety in this workbook
have been adapted to be fun, engaging, and child friendly. The
material in this manual is not intended to replace the advice of
professional mental health experts.
All Rights Reserved
2009
This book may only be reproduced with written permission from the
author.
Written By: Lacey Woloshyn
Illustrated By: Andrea Chamberlain
Contact Information:

[email protected]

Table of Contents
Story of Mighty Moe

page 4

Book of Mighty Big Feelings

page 30

What Big Feelings Do

page 32

What Big Feelings Say

page 35

Body-Mind-Feeling Chain

page 40

Body Cues

page 45

Body Tool #1: Healthy Choices

page 52

Body Tool #2: Relax

page 57

Thinking Tool #1: Positive Thoughts

page 58

Thinking Tool #2: Put it on Paper

page 60

Feeling Tool #1: Calm Down Plan

page 62

Feeling Tool #2: Special Plan

page 67

Putting it all Together

page 71

Problem Solving

page 75

Moe was a kid just like any other.

He went to school everyday. He liked math and art the best,
but he was not a big fan of homework.
He lived in a house with his family. He tried hard to get
along with his parents, but things were not always perfect.
He had lots of friends. Together, they would play soccer and
other fun games.

Moe really was a kid just like any other or so it seemed.

Moe seemed to be a kid just like any other, but he didnt feel
that way. He had something that made him special
something that made him different.

Moe had special powers. He was strong, fast, and creative,

just as much as the next kid. But when Moes Mighty
Powers kicked in, he became extra strong, extra fast, and
extra creative.

Having special powers may seem like a great thing, but

there was another side to Moes Mighty Powers.
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Having Mighty Powers meant that everything got really BIG

in Moes mind. His thoughts and feelings got so big they
were often out of his control.

And when Moe got

scared, he got
MIGHTY scared!

When Moe got mad, he

got MIGHTY mad!

Not only did Moe get mighty BIG feelings, but he was also
scared of many, many things!

Moe was scared of being away from his family, dark rooms,
needles, spiders, sharks, deep water, and his sisters
koodies, just to name a few.

No matter how hard he tried, Moe couldnt get rid of his

mighty big feelings. Moes family felt frustrated because
they didnt understand why he was scared of so many
things. They said, Moe, why do you worry so much?

Moe was confused

Worry is a feeling. Worries can be small or they can grow

to be very very BIG. Everyone gets small worries
sometimes, and everyone gets BIG worries as well.

But some people get BIG worries A LOT. If you get a lot of
BIG worries, then it can be hard to do things like school
work, meeting new people, or playing with friends.
This made Moe scared and sad. He wondered

One day, Moe was outside playing with his friend, Sam. It
was getting late in the afternoon and Sam was tired of
playing outside. Sam invited Moe to come over to his house
to play.

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Moe didnt know what to say. He liked Sam and wanted to

play with him more but he didnt want to go to Sams house.
Moe was happy playing in his own yard because his mom
was just inside the house and he could see her through the
window. Moe felt safe when he could see his mom.

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Moe knew if he went to Sams house he wouldnt be able to

see his mom through the window and this made him feel
scared.

Moe could feel his Mighty Powers kick in! His small feeling
started to get bigger and BIGGER. His tummy was doing
funny things and his skin was getting hot and tingly all over.

12

Moe started to back away from Sam

Moe turned and ran inside his house. Sam called to Moe and
asked him to come back, but Moe was already gone.

13

Moe felt horrible! He wanted to play with Sam and was mad
that he couldnt. He was too scared to tell Sam the truth
because he was afraid Sam would make fun of him. Moes
Mighty Powers had taken control again!
When Moe came inside, his mom asked:

But Moe said Moes mom.

I dont want to talk about it!! yelled Moe.
Moe knew he was being rude but he didnt care. All he
wanted to do was hide his feelings from everyone.
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A few days later, Moe was at school and his teacher asked
him to read in front of the class. Moe hated reading in front
of the class. He thought he was a bad reader and that all
the kids would laugh at him if he made a mistake.

Moe was feeling very very scared inside. He could feel his
Mighty Powers at work and his scared feeling was getting
bigger and bigger and BIGGER.

15

Moes teacher handed him the book.

Moe could feel his tummy doing funny things and his knees
were wobbly. His heart was beating so fast and so hard he
could hear it thumping in his ears. He was certain that
everyone in the room could hear his heartbeat thumping and
see his wobbly knees wobbling.

16

Moe didnt want anyone to know he was feeling scared. Moe

tried to calm down but his Mighty Powers were taking
control and his scared feeling was getting bigger and bigger
and BIGGER!

Moe tried as hard as he could but he couldnt make his lips

move to read the words.
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All the kids were staring at Moe, waiting for him to read. He
felt sick to his stomach. Scared, and not knowing what else
to do, Moe yelled:

Moe was so scared and frustrated and angry that he ripped

the pages out of the book, threw them on the ground, and
ran out of class!

18

As Moe ran down the hall he could hear all the kids laughing
at him. He could also hear his teacher calling him to come
back, but Moe didnt care. He just wanted to hide his
feelings from everyone, again.

19

Moe ran and ran and ran.

Moe ran so fast and so hard he could feel his leg muscles
burning.
Moe ran all the way home.

20

Moes mom was at home when he got there. She was

surprised to see him home from school so early. Moms
mom said:

Moes mom was scared and worried that something was

wrong. She loved Moe so much and cared for him a lot.

21

Moe didnt know what to do. Moe had Mighty BIG feelings
but he also had a Mighty BIG problem: he couldnt keep
letting his Mighty Powers take control all the time! Moe
knew he had to solve this problem but how?
Should he tell his mom about his feelings?
Should he get mad, be rude, and not talk about the
problem?

Moe could feel his tummy doing funny things again and
there was his heartbeat thumping in his ears boom,
boom boom, boom boom, boom

22

Moe couldnt keep it all inside anymore. He burst into tears!

23

Moes mom knew she had to help him. Moes Mighty Powers
were out of control! Moes feelings were getting too BIG and
this was making it hard for him to do things. Moes feelings
were so BIG and out of control that he couldnt even do
school work or have fun with his friends!

24

Moes mom took him to see a counsellor. Moe and his

counsellor talked about a lot of things like feelings, people,
school work, and even worries. The counsellor gave Moe a
book called:

Everyday, Moe and his mom would work on the book

together. The work wasnt easy, but Moe tried his hardest
and slowly, things started to get better.

25

Moe worked very hard and he learnt a lot of things from his
book.

He learnt he COULD make his big feelings smaller and he

COULD stop being scared of so many things.

26

Moe learned how to take control of his Mighty Powers

instead of them controlling him. This made Moe feel Mighty
happy.

27

Moe felt good about his Mighty Powers because learning

about them made him feel strong and brave. He felt proud
to be Mighty Moe.

Now, Moe still got Mighty BIG feelings sometimes but he felt
confident because he had learnt what to do to stay in control
of his Mighty Powers.
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But of all the things Moe learnt, the MOST IMPORTANT was

He realized he really WAS a kid, just like ANY OTHER.

29

Print your name here

30

Remember the story about Moe and his Mighty Powers?

Moes feelings got very BIG and it was hard for him to do things.

Moe didnt like having such BIG feelings.

31

What BIG Feelings DO

BIG feelings stopped Moe from going to his friends house to play.

BIG feelings stopped Moe from reading in front of the class.

32

BIG feelings can stop you from having fun.

BIG feelings can make it hard to do schoolwork.

33

BIG feelings can make it hard to talk to people, hard to play,

and even hard to smile!

34

What BIG Feelings SAY

35

It can be very hard to have

BIG feelings inside!

This book will help you learn

how to make your BIG
feelings smaller.

You can also learn to have

more control when you
have BIG feelings.

36

Remember what worry means?

37

What is a worry?

38

Think of a time when you had BIG feelings.

What happened?

39

The Amazing Body-Mind-Feeling Chain

What you DO, how you THINK, and how you FEEL, are all
connected.

40

What happens to you when you have BIG feelings?

41

To make BIG feelings smaller, you will need

Body Tools, Thinking Tools, and Feeling Tools.

Now, lets talk about feelings!

42

The thing about feelings is

You can have one feeling
inside or you can have
many feelings inside at
the same time.
Some feelings start
small and stay small.

Some feelings
grow

start small

and

to be very

BIG!
Some feelings start
BIG and FAST!

43

Feelings sure can be confusing!

Knowing how you feel can help you figure out what to do about it.

44

Body Cues
Your body gives you clues to help you figure out HOW you
feel. These are called Body Cues.

45

Fill out the Know Your Feelings Chart below with your own
body cues for each feeling.

46

How do feelings start?

Feelings start when you

or when something happens.

47

Think about things that you SEE, HEAR, or THINK that give
you BIG feelings. Fill in this chart with pictures or words:

48

Think about something that HAPPENED that gave you BIG

feelings.

49

Knowing HOW you feel and WHY you feel that way is hard
work. This takes a lot of practice, even for adults.
It can help to talk to someone about your feelings.
Remember Moe? He talked to his mom about his BIG
feelings and together they were able to make things better.

50

Who can you talk to about your BIG feelings?

51

Body Tool #1: Healthy Choices

Eating health food and staying active will help keep your
body healthy and feeling good.

A healthy body and mind are important when learning to

manage BIG feelings.
Make time everyday for exercise.

Exercise can be fun! Play a game of tag, jump rope, or have

a race with friends. Make sure you get all your muscles
working hard and get your heartbeat up to help you stay
strong and healthy.

52

What FUN activities can you do to keep your body healthy?

53

What healthy foods do you like to eat?

54

Take the Healthy Body Challenge!

Follow the star chart on the next page for one week.
Every time you eat healthy food, give yourself one star.

Every time you exercise for at least 15 minutes, give

yourself one star.

55

The Healthy Body Challenge Star Chart

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Body Tool #2: Relax

BIG feelings can make your body feel tight and sore. This
body tool can help your body feel better.
Try this:

Notice how warm and relaxed your muscles feel? You can
even try to do this exercise while sitting at your school desk
if you need to, or any other places you go.
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Thinking Tool #1: Positive Thoughts

When you have BIG feelings, your mind thinks BIG negative
thoughts and this can make you feel worse!
If your brain is thinking BIG negative thoughts try to say a
positive thought to yourself instead. Here are some ideas:

58

Write or draw about your own negative thoughts that you

have had. Write down a positive thought you can say to
yourself instead.

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Thinking Tool #2: Put it on Paper

Remember how Moe wanted

to hide his feelings?
This only made his problem
bigger.

It can be really hard to

talk about BIG feelings.
It can help to write them
down, or draw about
them.

When you feel safe and ready

to talk, you can take your paper
to an adult you trust and talk
about what happened.

Sometimes, just getting your thoughts and feelings out will

help you feel better.
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61

Feeling Tool #1: Calm Down Plan

When you have BIG feelings it can be hard to control your
body.

62

No matter what happens when you have BIG feelings, its

important to have a plan to help yourself Stay Safe, Calm
Down and Feel Better.
Here is an example of a Calm Down Plan:

63

Make your own Calm Down Plan

Its a good idea to make a poster and hang it up where you
can see it. It will help remind you what to do when you
have BIG feelings and how to stay in control.

On the next two pages you will find many different pictures.
You can cut out these pictures to make a calm down plan or
you can draw your own!
Have fun!

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Feeling Tool #2: Special Plan

Some people KNOW when they will get BIG feelings:

67

Write or draw about a time when you often have BIG

feelings.

68

When you KNOW BIG feelings are coming, its a good idea to
have a Special Plan. A Special Plan will help you manage
your BIG feelings so you can stay in control.
Here is an example of a Special Plan:

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Here is another example of a Special Plan for a different

situation:

Now, make your own Special Plan for school, home, or for
any other place you often get BIG feelings. If you need
help, ask and adult who knows you best.

70

Using your Tools to put it all together

On the next page you will see a bar numbered 0 to 10.
You can use this scale to figure out just how BIG your
feelings get.
0=smallest feelings
10=BIGGEST feelings
Step 1:

Colour the boxes 0, 1, and 2 in GREEN

Colour the boxes 3, 4, 5, and 6 in YELLOW
Colour the boxes 7, 8, 9, and 10 in RED

Step 2:

Think of a time when you had a worry.

Think about how BIG the feeling got and what
happened.
You can look back at your Body Cues sheet to help
you remember.

Step 3:

In the GREEN section, write down how the feeling

started.
In the YELLOW section, write down how the
feeling got BIGGER.
In the RED section, write down how the feeling got
OUT OF CONTROL.

Step 4:

On the other side of the bar, write down what you

could do to help yourself feel better. Think of
what tools you can use when the feeling is in the
GREEN ZONE, the YELLOW ZONE, and the RED
ZONE.
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72

Look at the chart you filled out on the previous page. Is it

easier to use your Tools when your feelings are small or
BIG? Why?

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When Moe had BIG feelings, he also ended up having BIG

problems. Moe tried to solve his problems a few different
ways.
Some of Moes choices made his problem BIGGER:

Some of Moes choices made his problem smaller:

Learning to solve problems is tough! The next page will help

you figure out how to become Mighty good at Problem
Solving.

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This book has shown you many Tools you can use to help
manage BIG feelings.

Remember, you are still learning about yourself and

practicing using these tools is HARD WORK!

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Sometimes, even though you try your best, things might not
go as well as you had hoped. Thats OK: if things dont go
well, talk to an adult about what happened. Try to think
about these questions:
What
What
What
What
What

good choices did I make?

did I do well?
helped me?
didnt help me?
will I try to do differently next time?

Dont give up, this is hard

work and it takes practice.
The most important thing is
to try your best!

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Good job!
Working through this book took a lot of hard work!
It is a good idea to keep this book in a safe place so you can
look at it whenever you want. Looking through this book
will help you remember your Body Tools, Thinking Tools, and
Feeling Tools. When you look at this book, remember how
strong and brave you are for learning to manage your BIG
feelings!
And remember
Just like Moe, you too are a kid, just like ANY OTHER!

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