If You Can Name Your Fears

If you can say them out loud, if you can write them down, you are ahead of the pack. If you can look your fears in the eye, and say, “I don’t like you,” you are on the road to living with them rather than being controlled by them.

I have a student who made a Book of Scares. He has a lot of anxiety, but his fears aren’t irrational. They are things that are scary, bad weather, sharks, death, people with guns, fire drills, and plane crashes are what are in the Book of Scares.

I’m so impressed with this young man who knows that he is more afraid of these things, but instead of hiding who he is, is willing to speak up and say there are things that scare me. Is wonderful to see self-advocacy, vulnerability, openness, and kindness in a young boy at an age when so many of my kids are people who want to show off, project confidence, and convince those around them that they are the best. This guy has some things to overcome, but I know that he’s going to get where he wants — and needs — to go.