ASTRO: Getting Motivated

Later on in LUNA, there will be different activities you need to complete, which usually consist of facing your fears to overcome them. Completing these activities and facing your fears every week is not easy, and sometimes it is very difficult to make these changes. If you find yourself running low on motivation or if you are getting discouraged while facing your fears, that is completely okay! Remember, you are doing something that is hard, so it may be helpful for you to have an incentive as a reward or a motivation booster for all of your hard work!

Motivation boosters can help motivate you through a challenge or reward you after one! When facing something scary, you may be more motivated to keep going if you know that you will receive something you are looking forward to afterward.

Motivation boosters can also provide support after doing something really challenging. Feeling supported and cared for is important, especially when you are working to face your fears. For example, activities such as spending quality time with a friend, enjoying your favorite hobby, or giving yourself time to relax with your favorite video game, may help you feel cared for and supported after doing something difficult. 

In LUNA, motivation boosters can be many different things! They do not need to be physical items and they do not need to cost money. For example, if you enjoy music from a certain artist, something as simple as giving yourself time to relax and listen to the artist’s new record could be considered a motivation booster.  

We want to offer you two different ways to keep yourself feeling motivated and supported as you complete the activities in LUNA. These two methods will be especially helpful after completing Module 4. This is because you will be receiving motivation boosters after completing tasks that you will learn about later, called exposure activities.  

Indirect Motivation Boosters- Keeping Points

One way to keep yourself motivated is by keeping points or tallies! For each exposure activity you do in LUNA, you will earn a different number of points based on how difficult the activity is. Once you earn enough points, you can use them to receive different rewards from your Motivation Booster List.

Think about what would help motivate you on this journey and how you can take care of yourself after completing a hard task.

Here is an example of Sophia and George’s Motivation Boosters. When they earn enough points, they look at their list of motivation boosters and pick which reward they would like to spend their points on. 

Take a few minutes to come up with your own list of Motivation Boosters. Save this Motivation Booster + Points worksheet on your device so you can fill it out and have it easily accessible. Or you can make your own list using a piece of paper if you’d like.

Be as creative as you want to be and think about what things would help you reach your goals as you complete the activities in LUNA. These rewards could be anything from small to big. Make sure that you have rewards that are worth a smaller number of points and rewards that are worth more points. Use your parents' help while making your list of Motivation Boosters so they can help you reach your goals. And remember you can always revisit and update the rewards and how many points they are worth if needed.

Direct Motivation Boosters

If keeping points/tallies doesn’t work for you, another way to keep yourself motivated may be to reward yourself directly after you have completed an exposure activity, instead of exchanging points for a reward.

If this sounds more intuitive to you, you can create a Motivation Booster list without assigning points to each reward. These direct rewards could also be anything from small to big. Make sure that you have both smaller and bigger rewards to go with easier and harder tasks.

Again, save this Motivation Boosters worksheet on your device first and take some time to brainstorm before filling it out. 

It’s important to talk about your Motivation Boosters with your parent so that both of you are on the same page. Sharing your list will also give your parent the ability to help support you throughout the LUNA program. Talking with your parent about what things make you feel supported and motivated will help you both on this journey.