14 Day Love Yourself Challenge

A Challenge of Self- Love and Acceptance for Children

or Teens with Anxiety

I admit I am a sucker for Valentine’s Day…I like the sweet treats, the pretty pink colors, and the idea of spreading love.  For years, starting on February 1st and going through February 14th, I have placed one heart each day on my children’s bedroom door.  Every morning when they wake up, they find a heart with a special message written from me to them. As they have gotten older, I am sure they find it a bit corny, but I still catch a small smile when they read my heartfelt words.  This year I have decided to up my game a bit, making each heart more meaningful to their daily life. I am sharing this tradition with all of you.

I am calling this the “Love Yourself Challenge for Anxious Kids”.  While the idea behind this is geared towards helping my anxious child continue to move forward in managing and overcoming anxiety, I believe that any child, anxious or not, benefits from positive thoughts and completing a challenge of self-improvement.  

 

How the 14 Day Love Challenge Works

I have created 14 hearts to be cut out,  placing one per day on the bedroom door. Each heart has a blank line where I will write a personalized positive message to each of my children.  For my daughter, I may write something about being proud of her for staying in class for the full period rather than leaving early. For my son, I could write about being proud of his effort during golf practice.  Well thought out praise, focusing on effort and attitude, can help children overcome challenges and motivate them to continue trying.  Check out: Increasing Confidence and Self- Esteem in Anxious Children

Underneath the blank line lies a typed motivational or inspirational message.  While these messages will be geared towards overcoming anxiety, any child will benefit from the positive message.  The idea is to help your child focus on this thought throughout the day, rather than allowing the negative thoughts to be at the forefront of their mind.

The final goal of these inspirational hearts is to work towards the goal of creating more positive daily habits.  This will be a 14-day challenge, offering opportunities for exploring positive ways to improve a child’s mental well being.  Many children are stuck in the rut of negative thinking and an “I can’t do it” attitude. These simple challenges may open their eyes to small tweaks in their routines that lead to improved moods and attitudes.  

On day 1, I will ask each of my children what they would like to “earn” if they successfully complete each daily challenge. I am anticipating my son asking for Fortnite money and my daughter requesting a shopping trip to the mall!  

Since all of our children are different ages with varying personalities, I have tried to create inspirational messages and challenges that allow the flexibility to be modified as needed.  You can download the hearts below.

 

I would ask that you share your stories on our Facebook page, starting February 1st,  each day as a way to motivate and encourage others. Tell us how your child responded and how you made this “Love Yourself” Challenge work for your family.  

 

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