My Anxious Mind

ABCT Self Help Book Seal of Merit Award

"According to the authors, one in 20 teens in the U.S. suffers from extreme anxiety. If you know one, you could do a lot worse than handing over this reassuring manual. Short enough to read in a couple sittings and imbued with an optimistic tone that rarely talks down, the book lays out common kinds of anxiety and triggers, describes breathing and relaxation techniques to stave off and coast through nervous episodes, and offers up various logs to fill out as the sufferer begins to make progress."—Booklist

"Speaking directly to teens, the authors walk readers through recognizing anxiety and its effects, both physical and mental, then deliver recommended therapies, tools, and resources for overcoming it. First-person, "real-life" vignettes are included in each chapter, which allow teens to relate to situations in a peer-to-peer fashion. This title belongs in every middle and high school library and teen resource collection."—School Library Journal

"My Anxious Mind is a terrific book! It contains easy-to-understand information and practical, straightforward steps anyone can take to reduce undue anxiety. It's a must read for anxious teens and their parents, and teachers but will be helpful to individuals of any age who have an 'anxious mind.'"—Judith S. Beck, PhD, Director, Beck Institute for Cognitive Therapy and Research; Clinical Associate Professor of Psychology in Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania; Past President, Academy of Cognitive Therapy

"This wonderful book is a must buy for adolescents and their families with severe anxiety. Its two voices—the recently affected adolescent and the experienced clinician—offer invaluable insights into the potentially devastating effects of untreated anxiety while describing in detail proven strategies for taking charge of fears and obsessions."—Glen R. Elliott, PhD, MD, Chief Psychiatrist and Medical Director, The Children's Health Council, Palo Alto, CA; Author of Medicating Young Minds: How to Know If Psychiatric Drugs Will Help or Hurt Your Child

"The strategies discussed in My Anxious Mind are firmly grounded in the latest research on treating anxiety. At the same time, the book is highly accessible, engaging, and easy to follow. I highly recommend My Anxious Mind to any teen who struggles with high levels of anxiety. Their parents should read it, too!"—Martin M. Antony, PhD, ABPP Professor of Psychology, Ryerson University, Toronto; Author of The Anti-Anxiety Workbook

"Up to one in five teens suffer from a significant anxiety disorder while countless others experience milder fears and worries. Tompkins and Martinez offer a step-by-step guide to anxiety management written specifically for adolescents. Along with proven techniques for dealing with anxious thoughts, physical symptoms of anxiety, and avoidance behaviors, this valuable book also addresses the important areas of sleep, nutrition, and exercise."—John Piacentini, PhD, ABPP Professor of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine; Director, Child OCD, Anxiety, and Tic Disorders Program, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, UCLA

"My Anxious Mind: A Teen's Guide to Managing Anxiety and Panic is a marvelous book for teens who feel anxious or shy sometimes or find that anxiety or shyness is becoming too frequent and too painful. If anxiety is interfering with teens making friends, doing what they want to, asserting themselves, or asking for help, this is the book for them. Tompkins and Martinez have written this guide with precision and clarity, while communicating warmth to their young readers and a real understanding of the challenges of the teen-age years. How great it will be to have a personal guide for handling adolescent worries and thoughts about what look like impending social disasters; and for solving the inevitable interpersonal problems and challenges of dealing with those teens love, like, can't stand, and learn to like. Teens can all learn from these authors' experience and wisdom."—Lynne Henderson, PhD, Director, The Shyness Institute, Palo Alto, California; Author of The Social Fitness Training Manuals