Once you’ve made some progress on your fear ladders, it may be time to  take on some new challenges.

Choose from the various fear themes below and see if you’re ready for one of our mission possible challenges. Your goal is to accomplish the mission you choose within the next 7 days. Don’t forget to reward yourself with something fun when you’re done. These can be very challenging! Good luck! 

Social Fears

 

  1. Call a store and ask if they have something in your size and can put it on hold for the day. 
  2. Buy something and then return it a couple hours later saying you changed your mind (don’t forget to check the store’s return policy before you do this one). 
  3. Approach a stranger in a safe public place and ask directions to the nearest grocery store. 
  4. Get on a bus and put in the wrong amount of money. 
  5. Order something at a fast food restaurant and once the cashier has punched it in, change your mind. 
Fear of Germs
  1. Sit on your bed wearing the clothes you wore at school and on the bus. 
  2. Lie on the floor at the entrance of your house. 
  3. Drop a candy on the floor and then eat it. 
  4. Touch a doorknob to a classroom at school and then touch your cheek without washing your hands. 
  5. Touch the doorknob to the mall bathroom and then touch your clothes without washing your hands. 
Fear of Making A Mistake
  1. Make a spelling mistake in an email to a friend. 
  2. Misuse a word when talking to a stranger. 
  3. Purposely make a mistake when handing in an assignment. 
  4. Purposely answer a question wrong in class. 
  5. Make your handwriting a little messy on a test and cross something out rather than erase it. 
Facing The Unknown
  1. Order something you’ve never eaten before at a restaurant. 
  2. Ask the barista at a coffee shop to recommend a beverage you have never tried before, and go for it. 
  3. Explore a safe new part of the city with a friend. 
  4. Let your friend plan an evening by picking a restaurant or movie, and go along with whatever she or he planned (without knowing the plan in advance). 
  5. Invite someone new to hang out with you and your friends.
Being Independent
  1. Go to a local coffee shop by yourself and sit and have a drink. 
  2. Take a bus by yourself for a few stops. 
  3. Call and make a doctor’s appointment on your own. 
  4. Order takeout for your family. 
  5. Go to a store by yourself and look around. 

*If you’re not used to doing stuff on your own, just run it by your parents first to see if it’s a safe challenge for you. 

Don’t worry if you’re not ready; these can be inspiring goals to gradually work towards. Keep working on your fear ladder and check back later to see if you’re ready to accept your mission! 

Don’t be discouraged if your fears start creeping back. This can happen from time to time, especially when you’re stressed out (for example, during final exams or after moving to a new home). This is totally normal. It just means you need to start planning some exposure exercises to knock your fears back down again.

Pull out your fear ladders and re-rate the items on the fear scale. Begin with the situation that causes you mild anxiety and start re-entering that situation or facing that thing. You can beat back your anxiety again! Remember that coping with anxiety is a lifelong process and it gets easier over time. You just have to remember some of the tools you’ve learned on this site and start using them again