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The Anxiety Survival Guide for Teens: CBT Skills to Overcome Fear, Worry, and Panic
Do the things you worry about feel overwhelming sometimes? Is anxiety getting in the way of making friends, dating, getting good grades, or just getting through the day? You may be wondering whether it's only developmental and will go away, or something more serious? This "survival guide" will help you identify the kind of anxiety you are having, how "normal" it is, and what you can do about.
Written by a Cognitive Behavioral therapist who's specialized in helping anxious teens, she 'll show you how to identify and deal with not only everyday anxiety, but with phobias, social anxiety, panic attacks, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), agoraphobia, separation anxiety, and generalized anxiety.
If you feel like your anxiety is taking over your life, this book will help you get it back. If confidence, independence and happiness is what you're after, this is your guide!
Written by a Cognitive Behavioral therapist who's specialized in helping anxious teens, she 'll show you how to identify and deal with not only everyday anxiety, but with phobias, social anxiety, panic attacks, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), agoraphobia, separation anxiety, and generalized anxiety.
If you feel like your anxiety is taking over your life, this book will help you get it back. If confidence, independence and happiness is what you're after, this is your guide!
256 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2015
102 people are currently reading
576 people want to read
About the author
Jennifer Shannon
21 books62 followersMy journey writing this book began as a 5 year-old, sitting next to my mother while she studied for her psychology classes. I wanted so much to be a psychologist and help others. But I needed plenty of help myself. I was an anxious child, prone to stomach aches, missing school, and nightmares of a man who lived under the house. When my father died I worried obsessively that my mother could die too.
It wasn’t until years later—after a seeing a succession of therapists, completing counseling grad school, and giving birth to my first child—that I discovered a clue to my persistent anxiety and worry. It was a new therapy at the time, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy. CBT changed my life. I learned that my resistance to anxiety was what was maintaining it. When I practiced accepting and welcoming it, anxiety began to lose its power over me.
For the past 25 years I have made the treatment of anxiety the central focus of my practice. I treat Social Anxiety (extreme shyness), Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Separation Anxiety, Panic Disorder, Phobias, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder. The powerful tools I’ve used to help my clients are the same tools I’ve used to help myself, and they can help you too.
Don’t Feed the Monkey Mind is a distillation of what I’ve learned from CBT and mindfulness practices. The book will help you recognize that your anxiety is not a monster to be avoided and resisted. It is only a wild, frightened little monkey that, with acceptance and welcoming, can be tamed.
Married for 31 years and a mother of three, I am a Certified Diplomat of The Academy of Cognitive Therapy and a member of the Anxiety and Depression Disorders Association of America, the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, the International OCD Foundation and the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists. I am the co-founder of the Santa Rosa Center for Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy and the author of The Anxiety Survival Guide for Teens and The Shyness and Social Anxiety Workbook for Teens.
It wasn’t until years later—after a seeing a succession of therapists, completing counseling grad school, and giving birth to my first child—that I discovered a clue to my persistent anxiety and worry. It was a new therapy at the time, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy. CBT changed my life. I learned that my resistance to anxiety was what was maintaining it. When I practiced accepting and welcoming it, anxiety began to lose its power over me.
For the past 25 years I have made the treatment of anxiety the central focus of my practice. I treat Social Anxiety (extreme shyness), Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Separation Anxiety, Panic Disorder, Phobias, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder. The powerful tools I’ve used to help my clients are the same tools I’ve used to help myself, and they can help you too.
Don’t Feed the Monkey Mind is a distillation of what I’ve learned from CBT and mindfulness practices. The book will help you recognize that your anxiety is not a monster to be avoided and resisted. It is only a wild, frightened little monkey that, with acceptance and welcoming, can be tamed.
Married for 31 years and a mother of three, I am a Certified Diplomat of The Academy of Cognitive Therapy and a member of the Anxiety and Depression Disorders Association of America, the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, the International OCD Foundation and the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists. I am the co-founder of the Santa Rosa Center for Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy and the author of The Anxiety Survival Guide for Teens and The Shyness and Social Anxiety Workbook for Teens.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
February 2, 2016
Okay book, if not extremely repetitive. Rather childish, but the cartoons are fun. This might help for trying to get over something like a fear of dogs, but as for an ocd tick/general anxiety or agoraphobia I doubt it could help. Overall pretty meh, nothing new here.
Buy, Borrow or Bin Verdict:Bin
Note: I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
Buy, Borrow or Bin Verdict:Bin
Note: I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
July 29, 2015
Ecopy provided by Netgalley and the publisher.
Okay. So this book is supposed to be a selfhelp kinda book. Yeah, it wasn't. Who doesn't know about breathing techniques by now? I felt like this book made everything much easier than it is, really. Yes, staying calm and breathing is the way to go, but tell that to someone in the middle of a panic attack. They tend to forget that and being busy trying to just survive.
First half of the book explained what anxiety is, second half goes into detail with different issues. The problem here is that the 'survival guides' are more or less the same - which means reading the same steps over and over and SIGH!
It also felt a bit childish. Like it was aimed at children 10-14. A bit too young imo.
Also, it felt a lot like those kind of books that should be free. It had links all over the place! I get that it can be nice to know where you can find more info, but really....in the middle of the text? Stop, please just stop. Those links should've been in the back of the book instead, if you ask me.
I liked the drawings and the cartoons, they were cute, but that's about it.
Okay. So this book is supposed to be a selfhelp kinda book. Yeah, it wasn't. Who doesn't know about breathing techniques by now? I felt like this book made everything much easier than it is, really. Yes, staying calm and breathing is the way to go, but tell that to someone in the middle of a panic attack. They tend to forget that and being busy trying to just survive.
First half of the book explained what anxiety is, second half goes into detail with different issues. The problem here is that the 'survival guides' are more or less the same - which means reading the same steps over and over and SIGH!
It also felt a bit childish. Like it was aimed at children 10-14. A bit too young imo.
Also, it felt a lot like those kind of books that should be free. It had links all over the place! I get that it can be nice to know where you can find more info, but really....in the middle of the text? Stop, please just stop. Those links should've been in the back of the book instead, if you ask me.
I liked the drawings and the cartoons, they were cute, but that's about it.
August 1, 2015
If you want to read the review in a proper layout, you'll find it here at our blog: YouthCultureDenmark.com
"Hi Everyone! My name is Peter, and I'm the editor at Youth Culture Denmark. I was suffering from severe anxiety when I was a teen in the 90ies, and I would have paid anything to get introduced to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) through a self-help book like this." Everyone: "Hello Peter" :)
Even though CBT took its baby steps during the 1950ies and 60ies, I first saw a CBT self-help book in 2003, and it wasn’t even in a book shop. I had to order it online from a therapist who had written it himself.
Even though I felt this was something that could really work for me, the book was so poorly written, that I gave up on the DIY exercises after a few weeks.
But, wow, have therapists and authors improved since then!
EVERYTHING I have learned about CBT
I was actually stunned most of the time while reading ‘The anxiety survival guide for teens’. Everything – and I mean EVERYTHING – I have learned about CBT visiting therapists and by working in CBT therapy groups with others for more than ten years of my adult life, was written down in this book.
Very good overview
In a calm orderly manner, the book characterizes and gives specific instructions for the different kinds of anxiety: ‘Shyness and social anxiety’, ‘Panic and Agoraphobia’, ‘Specific Phobias’, ‘Generalized Anxiety’ and ‘Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)’.
The tone is just so warm and pleasant, and every teen who suffers from anxiety but doesn’t know what kind yet, can easily recognise himself/herself in the detailed and often funny examples, without being scared to death.
Doesn’t over romanticize like other self-help books
Actually, this is the first self-help book, I’ve ever read, where the narrator doesn’t over romanticize the possibilities to get better soon. What a relief!
The best way to start is to read the introduction chapters about Justin who gets more than normally scared of dogs after an incident with a loose German Shepherd.
You don’t actually have to be scared of dogs to learn something from this long example. It just explains the principles of CBT by the narrator, by comic strips and by small “diary excerpts” that show you how to work with the many work sheets the book links to (the links didn’t work though in my uncorrected proof, but I’m sure they will when the book is published).
Don’t read it all in two days
When you’ve finished the introduction, you can easily jump to the chapter with the type of anxiety disorder, you think you suffer from, without missing out. So, you don’t have to read about every other kind of anxiety.
I must admit, when you’re predisposed for anxiety, like I am, you have to be a tough cookie not to feel like you suffer from it all, if you read the book from start to end in two days.
But, don’t worry, anxiety is completely normal and healthy in every mind, so it’s not a bad thing to have a lot of anxious thoughts while reading. (The Author, Jennifer Shannon, would most certainly tell you that it’s a good thing, because then you have a great opportunity to work with your heightened emotions and CBT. ;) )
But, do you fell overloaded with your own type of anxiety right now, don’t read the book from start to end the first two days. Use it like a learning book in math (You wouldn’t do a math book in just two days, right?) and take baby steps.
Don’t quit if it seems childish in the beginning
Jennifer Shannon’s ‘The anxiety survival guide for teens’ is the best introduction to CBT I have ever seen and read.
Some of the first examples with Justin can seem a bit childish for teens, though, but don’t quit the book because of that. There’s actually a very important purpose with the rehearsals and the detailed explanations; that is to make you remember the principles of CBT, like you have to train your serve over and over and over, if you would like to become a decent tennis player.
And in a self-help book this is even more important, because you havn’t got a teacher to remind you what to do.
Work socially, too
Personally I think it is so important to introduce CBT to kids and teens as soon as possible. Just the word therapy might sound scary to many, but actually CBT’s “just” a way to think realistic thoughts. There’s no Hokus-Pokus, just hard work!
In my opinion, it is a million times better to get to know yourself via CBT, than just to be put on hold with antidepressives, like a lot of doctors did with teens with anxiety only ten years ago.
Finally, if you like the principles and exercises in this book, don’t hesitate to read it together with a good friend, one of your parents or consult a therapist or attend a CBT youth group supervised by a CBT therapist.
I don’t say that so we can make more work for therapists (and I’m not a therapist nor am I married to one ;-) ), but CBT works so much better – and can be quite funny and relieving – if you’re open and socially about it and if you get professional feedback on your written exercises, so you don’t get stuck.
"Hi Everyone! My name is Peter, and I'm the editor at Youth Culture Denmark. I was suffering from severe anxiety when I was a teen in the 90ies, and I would have paid anything to get introduced to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) through a self-help book like this." Everyone: "Hello Peter" :)
Even though CBT took its baby steps during the 1950ies and 60ies, I first saw a CBT self-help book in 2003, and it wasn’t even in a book shop. I had to order it online from a therapist who had written it himself.
Even though I felt this was something that could really work for me, the book was so poorly written, that I gave up on the DIY exercises after a few weeks.
But, wow, have therapists and authors improved since then!
EVERYTHING I have learned about CBT
I was actually stunned most of the time while reading ‘The anxiety survival guide for teens’. Everything – and I mean EVERYTHING – I have learned about CBT visiting therapists and by working in CBT therapy groups with others for more than ten years of my adult life, was written down in this book.
Very good overview
In a calm orderly manner, the book characterizes and gives specific instructions for the different kinds of anxiety: ‘Shyness and social anxiety’, ‘Panic and Agoraphobia’, ‘Specific Phobias’, ‘Generalized Anxiety’ and ‘Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)’.
The tone is just so warm and pleasant, and every teen who suffers from anxiety but doesn’t know what kind yet, can easily recognise himself/herself in the detailed and often funny examples, without being scared to death.
Doesn’t over romanticize like other self-help books
Actually, this is the first self-help book, I’ve ever read, where the narrator doesn’t over romanticize the possibilities to get better soon. What a relief!
Excerpt from ”The Anxiety Survival Guide for Teens’, page 76
As you know you cannot simply get rid of your anxiety thoughts. Your monkey mind is a built in safety feature and it is here to stay.
The best way to start is to read the introduction chapters about Justin who gets more than normally scared of dogs after an incident with a loose German Shepherd.
You don’t actually have to be scared of dogs to learn something from this long example. It just explains the principles of CBT by the narrator, by comic strips and by small “diary excerpts” that show you how to work with the many work sheets the book links to (the links didn’t work though in my uncorrected proof, but I’m sure they will when the book is published).
Don’t read it all in two days
When you’ve finished the introduction, you can easily jump to the chapter with the type of anxiety disorder, you think you suffer from, without missing out. So, you don’t have to read about every other kind of anxiety.
Excerpt from ”The Anxiety Survival Guide for Teens’, page 93
The truth is, if you are a socially anxious teen, you are an intelligent, sensitive, and responsible person. Your biggest critic is inside you, not outside.
I must admit, when you’re predisposed for anxiety, like I am, you have to be a tough cookie not to feel like you suffer from it all, if you read the book from start to end in two days.
But, don’t worry, anxiety is completely normal and healthy in every mind, so it’s not a bad thing to have a lot of anxious thoughts while reading. (The Author, Jennifer Shannon, would most certainly tell you that it’s a good thing, because then you have a great opportunity to work with your heightened emotions and CBT. ;) )
But, do you fell overloaded with your own type of anxiety right now, don’t read the book from start to end the first two days. Use it like a learning book in math (You wouldn’t do a math book in just two days, right?) and take baby steps.
Don’t quit if it seems childish in the beginning
Jennifer Shannon’s ‘The anxiety survival guide for teens’ is the best introduction to CBT I have ever seen and read.
Some of the first examples with Justin can seem a bit childish for teens, though, but don’t quit the book because of that. There’s actually a very important purpose with the rehearsals and the detailed explanations; that is to make you remember the principles of CBT, like you have to train your serve over and over and over, if you would like to become a decent tennis player.
And in a self-help book this is even more important, because you havn’t got a teacher to remind you what to do.
Work socially, too
Personally I think it is so important to introduce CBT to kids and teens as soon as possible. Just the word therapy might sound scary to many, but actually CBT’s “just” a way to think realistic thoughts. There’s no Hokus-Pokus, just hard work!
In my opinion, it is a million times better to get to know yourself via CBT, than just to be put on hold with antidepressives, like a lot of doctors did with teens with anxiety only ten years ago.
Finally, if you like the principles and exercises in this book, don’t hesitate to read it together with a good friend, one of your parents or consult a therapist or attend a CBT youth group supervised by a CBT therapist.
I don’t say that so we can make more work for therapists (and I’m not a therapist nor am I married to one ;-) ), but CBT works so much better – and can be quite funny and relieving – if you’re open and socially about it and if you get professional feedback on your written exercises, so you don’t get stuck.
Excerpt from ”The Anxiety Survival Guide for Teens’, page 51
Is the life you want to live worth facing your fears?
Thanks NetGalley for ARC PDF
July 8, 2015
A free e-copy was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated in any way. Thank you!
These may be big words to start with but they are true so I'll say them anyway: This book has changed my life.
The quick story - because nobody's really curious about my sloppy life story in the midst of a review - is that I'm a teen and I have social and generalized anxiety. And while I'd known some about the prior, I'd had only experienced but had not been able to define the latter.
Now, not only do I know - accurately - what these conditions mean, but I also realize that there's help for it and it's not impossible to beat anxiety's as* at all.. (Pardon my French.) In fact, TASGFT provide the reader with excellent info, exercises, tips and tricks and all of them are easy to understand, even though actually execute them might not always be so.
I tried these exercises, most of which consist of this ladder that has rungs or levels of difficulty you could say because the idea is that on the lowest rung - or difficulty - you put an action that causes you trouble, but not much. For social anxiety, I'd be, for me at least - something like asking my Mum's boyfriend (who lives with us) for something. Then on the second lowest rung, you put an action that causes you slightly more problem, etc. This way you can work through your fears step by step and guess what! It works. Which made me so happy.
Additionally, there are comics and examples which I think would be understandable even for a ten year-old and they're also very relatable. There'll be a site set up for it as well with worksheets and further examples. So all in all, it's a very well worked-out and very-well thought out self0help books for us, teenagers and I am just so thankful and grateful for the opportunity to have been able to read it early!
These may be big words to start with but they are true so I'll say them anyway: This book has changed my life.
The quick story - because nobody's really curious about my sloppy life story in the midst of a review - is that I'm a teen and I have social and generalized anxiety. And while I'd known some about the prior, I'd had only experienced but had not been able to define the latter.
Now, not only do I know - accurately - what these conditions mean, but I also realize that there's help for it and it's not impossible to beat anxiety's as* at all.. (Pardon my French.) In fact, TASGFT provide the reader with excellent info, exercises, tips and tricks and all of them are easy to understand, even though actually execute them might not always be so.
I tried these exercises, most of which consist of this ladder that has rungs or levels of difficulty you could say because the idea is that on the lowest rung - or difficulty - you put an action that causes you trouble, but not much. For social anxiety, I'd be, for me at least - something like asking my Mum's boyfriend (who lives with us) for something. Then on the second lowest rung, you put an action that causes you slightly more problem, etc. This way you can work through your fears step by step and guess what! It works. Which made me so happy.
Additionally, there are comics and examples which I think would be understandable even for a ten year-old and they're also very relatable. There'll be a site set up for it as well with worksheets and further examples. So all in all, it's a very well worked-out and very-well thought out self0help books for us, teenagers and I am just so thankful and grateful for the opportunity to have been able to read it early!
August 20, 2015
I am so glad that books like this one are avaliable these days, as I wish that we had more of them when I was a teenager as I found myself reading alot of the adult Self-Help books like 7 Habits of Highly Effective People etc. As teens, we find that being anxious is a horrible feeling and it can be for anyone when they feel anxiety but as a teenager we have a lot more going on in our worlds from schooling, family, friends, peer pressure and jobs. All this can build up on us and if we are one to keep it inside, it can unfortunately bubble up to the surface and cause damaging effects to our lives. Jennifer Shannon's book teaches teens the different kinds of anxiety we can suffer from generalised anxiety - which is worrying about everything family, school - (this is the most common) and I have to admit that I still do this and it's not good as it can make you feel nauseated and develop insomnia as you can't sleep as you are worrying about what is going to happen, separation anxiety , phobias , panic attacks and the more severe of agoraphobia. Based in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), this book helps you identify your "monkey mind"—the primitive part of the brain where anxious thoughts arise. You’ll also be able to determine if you suffer from generalized anxiety, phobias, social anxiety, panic and agoraphobia, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), or separation anxiety. Full of powerful yet simple cartoon illustrations, this book will teach you practical strategies for handling even the toughest situations that previously caused you to feel anxious or worried.
So if you are a teen and wanting to read about how you can improve your anxiety skills, then check out "The Anxiety Survival Guide for Teens".
So if you are a teen and wanting to read about how you can improve your anxiety skills, then check out "The Anxiety Survival Guide for Teens".
July 17, 2015
I received a free copy of the book from NetGalley, with the request to write an honest review, which is what I've done here.
For my full review, see my book blog: http://moderndayheroine.tumblr.com/po...
Overall, I really liked this book. I've had GAD for most of my life, but I didn't figure it out til college. I would have loved to have had a book like this. I've been researching and practicing ways to cope with my disease for ten years. I feel like Shannon gave some really good advice. There were a few techniques I'm not quite sure would work, but I understand that I have one type of anxiety and not everything will work for me.
For my full review, see my book blog: http://moderndayheroine.tumblr.com/po...
Overall, I really liked this book. I've had GAD for most of my life, but I didn't figure it out til college. I would have loved to have had a book like this. I've been researching and practicing ways to cope with my disease for ten years. I feel like Shannon gave some really good advice. There were a few techniques I'm not quite sure would work, but I understand that I have one type of anxiety and not everything will work for me.
January 1, 2022
It was "okay." The first 50 pages were decent enough, because it gave some good examples of recognizing and coping with anxiety. But, then the same tools were used over and over again throughout the book. It was just far too repetitive. And, a bit childish. Yes, this is for "teens" but it would be better off for a parent who might need to find a super-simplified way of explaining anxiety to children.
August 25, 2015
I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I wish a book as easy to read as this, with as much information regarding anxiety existed when I was in school.
There isn't much more I can say about this book besides that anyone, regardless of age, is dealing with anxiety they need to read this book.
I wish a book as easy to read as this, with as much information regarding anxiety existed when I was in school.
There isn't much more I can say about this book besides that anyone, regardless of age, is dealing with anxiety they need to read this book.
September 26, 2018
Decent and very practical guide to handling some anxiety. I liked a lot of the suggestions and I'm excited to utilize them while working with clients. I just wish there had been more. There are some ideas for understanding anxieties, reframing them, and also gradual exposure therapy. But it mostly explained the basics of anxiety to teens from an evolutionary standpoint. This book also sometimes felt a bit condescending and it was dumbing things down for the reader. Perhaps that is helpful to very young readers, but it was more annoying than helpful for an older reader.
November 30, 2020
2.5 stars, but I round up. Anyway, when I first discovered this book, I was very happy. I have a little bit of anxiety, and I thought this book could help me.
Nope! This is for people who have A LOT of anxiety, not a teeny bit, and it was weird. I don't have a specific fear or anxiety. Even the chapter about general anxiety did not help me. It seems like this book is just not for me. Also, putting the links to worksheets was disruptive.
2.5 stars.
Not for me, but maybe someone else finds this helpful.
Nope! This is for people who have A LOT of anxiety, not a teeny bit, and it was weird. I don't have a specific fear or anxiety. Even the chapter about general anxiety did not help me. It seems like this book is just not for me. Also, putting the links to worksheets was disruptive.
2.5 stars.
Not for me, but maybe someone else finds this helpful.
November 27, 2022
Lots of great suggestions on how to identify anxious thoughts and try to change behaviors to overcome them. A parent could use this as a primer on how to help their teen. For someone with lots of motivation and who is very insightful, maybe they could help themselves with this book. However, I’d think working with a therapist would be needed for many of the kids with the levels of anxiety used as examples in this book.
July 19, 2025
i'm not usually a non-fiction reader, but i picked up this book at a difficult time and actually found it really useful! the methods in it were really helpful for me, and none of the information felt too difficult to understand/comprehend. i would definitely recommend giving this book a read- even if you are not a teen yourself- as it has some really quite good information/methods for blocking out anxiety.
Read
June 2, 2020I really enjoyed learning about these CBT, ACT, and mindfulness skills/ways of coping with different types of anxiety. I enjoyed the examples, reasoning, historical explanations, and different methods. Many things were touched on in this book! I wish I could say more. So glad I read this, I will be reading another self-help book by this author and illustrator duo. :)
October 19, 2022
5 stars
My mom bought me this book when I was in eighth grade. It didn't cure my anxiety, but it helped me a lot.
First sentence:
Introduction
You Are Not Alone and You Are Not to Blame
Teens who suffer from anxiety often think of themselves as weak, stupid, or any of many other negative labels.
My mom bought me this book when I was in eighth grade. It didn't cure my anxiety, but it helped me a lot.
First sentence:
Introduction
You Are Not Alone and You Are Not to Blame
Teens who suffer from anxiety often think of themselves as weak, stupid, or any of many other negative labels.
June 26, 2017
This week on Radio Health Journal, we spoke with psychologist and author Jennifer Shannon about Social Anxiety Disorder in teens. If you would like to hear the full radio show/podcast, check out the link HERE! https://radiohealthjournal.wordpress....
December 11, 2017
A great resource for helping teens (or anyone) with anxiety. This source explains the various aspects of anxiety in a simple fashion that is very easy to understand and techniques that should be easy to implement.
January 15, 2019
A very simple and basis book to help teens understand and cope with anxiety. It addresses phobias, social anxieties, obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression and the issues. It can take the fear out of your life.
October 10, 2019
One of the best books I’ve read in a while. This book is great for coaches working w kids or adults who have anxiety (even though it’s tools for kids, these are tools I use with adults too). Also, this would be a great book for a parent and child to work through together. Well done 👏🏼
July 5, 2021
I will absolutely be recommending this to teens and parents of teens struggling with anxiety and OCD. I found the language to be easy to understand yet very effective and the downloads are a nice bonus as well.
April 10, 2020
Helped me alot
February 6, 2022
Pretty good ideas for teens dealing with anxiety, or anybody really.
Read
October 4, 2022it has a lot of good ways to handle anxiety
May 25, 2024
at least it tried! my mum is just reading this to get a sense of what anxiety is but the book itself was about as useful as state school cbt with cute pictures so idk girl
August 10, 2024
i felt like this book was trying to explain anxiety to 10 year olds
August 19, 2015
(I received this copy free from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)
This is a great book! It is helpful for anxious teens and their parents, as well as teachers. As a mother of two teenagers and a college prof, I am seeing more and more young people with anxiety issues. This affects their daily life and their success in school. Jennifer Shannon has treated adolescents and gives clear and helpful suggestions to overcome anxiety. Her writing style seems to be aimed at younger teens, but her examples are relevant to all teens today, and the illustrations by Doug Shannon are fun.
Shannon uses CBT (cognitive-behavioural therapy) as a basis for her tools. The first part of the book explains what anxiety is, why people get anxious, and gives an overview of the tools and why/how they work. The second part addresses specific types of anxiety, such as social anxiety, phobias and generalized anxiety. The appendix contains information about various medications used to treat anxiety.
The author notes that self-help may not be enough, and that a visit to a doctor and/or therapist may be necessary. I would go further and say that this would be a good book to have as an adjunct to therapy. Unless someone's anxiety is low level, I wouldn't expect it to help much. I agree with other reviewers that there are a lot of books that cover the same ground, but unlike what others seem to think, not everybody knows CBT techniques. Everyone has to learn about them for a first time and this is a good place to start.
I would definitely recommend this book to adolescents suffering from anxiety, as well as their parents. I will be buying one for my family.
This is a great book! It is helpful for anxious teens and their parents, as well as teachers. As a mother of two teenagers and a college prof, I am seeing more and more young people with anxiety issues. This affects their daily life and their success in school. Jennifer Shannon has treated adolescents and gives clear and helpful suggestions to overcome anxiety. Her writing style seems to be aimed at younger teens, but her examples are relevant to all teens today, and the illustrations by Doug Shannon are fun.
Shannon uses CBT (cognitive-behavioural therapy) as a basis for her tools. The first part of the book explains what anxiety is, why people get anxious, and gives an overview of the tools and why/how they work. The second part addresses specific types of anxiety, such as social anxiety, phobias and generalized anxiety. The appendix contains information about various medications used to treat anxiety.
The author notes that self-help may not be enough, and that a visit to a doctor and/or therapist may be necessary. I would go further and say that this would be a good book to have as an adjunct to therapy. Unless someone's anxiety is low level, I wouldn't expect it to help much. I agree with other reviewers that there are a lot of books that cover the same ground, but unlike what others seem to think, not everybody knows CBT techniques. Everyone has to learn about them for a first time and this is a good place to start.
I would definitely recommend this book to adolescents suffering from anxiety, as well as their parents. I will be buying one for my family.
September 24, 2015
I only wish I had had this book as a teenager suffering from anxiety. As an adult, I still suffer from several types of anxiety. I enjoyed reading this book geared for teens. I also was able to find some new exercises as an adult that I will incorporate in to my routine of dealing with panic attacks.
The author described the different types of anxiety, explained that anxiety is not something that is wrong with them, they are not going "crazy". It has a genetic component. The work sheets, exercises will be helpful for most teens. The cartoons I thought was a cute touch, monkey brain was a great way to describe how the brain chatters like a monkey when anxiety hits. I would highly recommend this book for parents of teens. Also guidance counselors should be aware of this book for students. The author does have a section about medications. But I thought her point about trying to get to kids early with knowledge and empowerment related to anxiety/depression could ward off being put on medications for most teens.
I received this book in a giveaway from GoodReads. This is an honest review. Thank you New Harbinger Publications for this book.
The author described the different types of anxiety, explained that anxiety is not something that is wrong with them, they are not going "crazy". It has a genetic component. The work sheets, exercises will be helpful for most teens. The cartoons I thought was a cute touch, monkey brain was a great way to describe how the brain chatters like a monkey when anxiety hits. I would highly recommend this book for parents of teens. Also guidance counselors should be aware of this book for students. The author does have a section about medications. But I thought her point about trying to get to kids early with knowledge and empowerment related to anxiety/depression could ward off being put on medications for most teens.
I received this book in a giveaway from GoodReads. This is an honest review. Thank you New Harbinger Publications for this book.
September 13, 2015
I am an experienced cognitive behavioral therapist who works extensively with teens.I believe Jennifer Shannon's book will be an excellent adjunct to my work with teen clients. It gets across the message that there is hope for anxious adolescents in a simple, straightforward but interesting format. The illustrations add a great deal to the text. The book covers a wide number of anxiety types with a common theme of facing your anxiety while learning tools to help one do so. The examples used are current and relevant to teens' lives. For adolescents not in therapy, this book can help them understand what they are going through while giving them lots of strategies to better cope with their concerns. I highly recommend "The Anxiety Survival Guide for Teens" !
August 25, 2015
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REVIEW BY: Arianna, age 12 years, 8 months
MAY CONTAIN SPOILER:
Have you ever gotten so nervous that you can't speak? Well this book tells you all about anxiety. It's a normal thing, everyone gets it at least once in their life.
This was a wonderful guide to surviving anxiety. My favorite part was when this book opened my eyes and the message finally got through to me that everyone experiences anxiety.
I recommend this book for people who are having a hard time surviving their own anxiety or unsure how to handle it.
I give this book 3 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 12 and up.
REVIEW BY: Arianna, age 12 years, 8 months
MAY CONTAIN SPOILER:
Have you ever gotten so nervous that you can't speak? Well this book tells you all about anxiety. It's a normal thing, everyone gets it at least once in their life.
This was a wonderful guide to surviving anxiety. My favorite part was when this book opened my eyes and the message finally got through to me that everyone experiences anxiety.
I recommend this book for people who are having a hard time surviving their own anxiety or unsure how to handle it.
I give this book 3 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 12 and up.
October 21, 2015
I won this book in one of the goodreads giveaways.
While the book is clearly geared more toward teenagers and I am not a teenager, it has still been extremely helpful to me. I suffer from panic disorder and anxiety. The techniques this book talks about, and the reassurance that I'm not alone and CAN get through this, has been refreshing and exactly what I need to hear. If you have anxiety, regardless of age, I highly recommend having this book on your coffee table.
While the book is clearly geared more toward teenagers and I am not a teenager, it has still been extremely helpful to me. I suffer from panic disorder and anxiety. The techniques this book talks about, and the reassurance that I'm not alone and CAN get through this, has been refreshing and exactly what I need to hear. If you have anxiety, regardless of age, I highly recommend having this book on your coffee table.
July 13, 2015
I always appreciate reviewing these type of books because I learn so much. Its a brilliant book especially for teens , how to survive and learn healthy coping skills, navigate through problems in life and by using the tools in this book it will help them to thrive at home, school, and into adulthood. We have to remember normal dosent exist everyone gets anxious.
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