Hi,
My name is Abbey and this is a story about a little monster who comes to visit me when he's feeling sad or worried or angry.
He used to settle on the sofa in my tummy and made me feel sad or worried or angry too.
All his jumping around gave me butterflies in my tummy and made my head hot and sometimes it made me want to cry.
But now I've figured out a way to stop him.
He still visits but I've learnt to recognise what he's feeling and I can calm him down,
Which makes it easier for me to cope with the tricky feelings he brings.
So if you've ever worried about something or been scared or angry and you feel like you need some help to calm down,
Maybe this story could help you too.
There's a monster in my tummy,
On a sofa meant for two.
He settles in and squishes down.
I think his name is Blue.
He comes when he is feeling sad and settles in to chat.
His talking makes me feel sad too.
I've tried to tell him that.
But he won't listen to me talk.
They're one way conversations.
And when I try to zone him out,
He causes weird sensations.
He zooms right up into my head and makes my eyes droop down.
He grabs my throat and squeezes tight until I start to frown.
He makes my mouth all wobbly and clutches at my heart and then I kind of go all slack and sort of fall apart.
He comes when he is angry too and tells me why he's cross.
I really don't know what to do.
It feels like he's the boss.
His talking makes me clench my fists and makes my jaw so tight.
My head grows hot,
My eyes go dry.
It makes me want to fight.
He visits when he's feeling scared or nervous or frustrated.
He tells me being cool and calm is somewhat overrated.
He bounces on the sofa and gives a flying leap.
He gets quite anxious late at night so then I just can't sleep.
I worry,
What if my friends don't like me?
How will I cope with that?
What if my teacher thinks I'm dim or Dad prefers the cat?
Perhaps I'll never be as good as others in my class.
So what do I intend to do?
He frets and moans and asks.
And early the next morning when Mum asks,
What's the matter?
Has that monster kept you up again with all his unkind chatter?
Mum says she has a monster too,
A fluffy one called Buzz.
And that made me feel less alone.
I wonder what she does?
Then Mum tells me she listens to what he has to say.
She doesn't interrupt him but instead starts to play.
She has a game she calls The Breath.
She breathes in nice and slow.
She counts to five,
A deep breath in,
Then lets a long breath go.
She follows Buzz around inside,
Wherever he might go.
She breathes in deep to where he is,
Then breathes out nice and slow.
If her tummy aches because he's bouncing to the max,
She sends her breath straight to that spot and feels herself relax.
She takes another deep breath in and then a big breath out.
She follows him around inside.
She's curious throughout.
Aha!
She says,
My throat feels tight.
That means that he's frustrated.
Or my shoulders feel so saggy now.
He must feel sad or hated.
She takes one final deep breath in.
She breathes in nice and slow.
She counts one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Then lets a long breath go.
And once she's listened to his fears and followed him around and taken in some long deep breaths,
Guess what my Mum has found?
The monster.
The leaves.
He really does.
Buzz now feels fine and calm.
So I thought I should try it out.
It can't do any harm.
On Monday I joined a new club.
No one I knew was going.
Blue turned up on the sofa then.
His fear and nerves were showing.
He bounced and made my tummy sore,
Then moved up high and wide.
My heart beat fast,
My hands grew wet.
He flew about inside.
He said nobody would like me.
Maybe I would trip.
My palms went wet.
My chest felt tight.
My tummy did a flip.
Now usually I'd yell at Blue,
Leave me alone!
I'd shout.
Instead I took a deep breath in and blew a big breath out.
I followed him around my chest.
It fluttered with his fear.
His sadness made my throat feel tight and butterflies appear.
I took another deep breath in.
I breathed in nice and slow.
I counted.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five.
Then let a long breath go.
I said you're right.
Maybe I'd trip.
And that would not feel nice.
But if I tried to laugh it off,
Perhaps it would break the ice.
Not everyone would like me.
I'm sure that's also true.
But some kids would.
And then guess what?
I'd make some new friends too.
And the monster on my sofa stopped.
No bouncing.
Not a jump.
My tummy ache went right away as well as my throat lump.
Fear left my chest.
I swallowed hard.
Blue had left the building.
He'd gone and taken all the pain and worry he was wielding.
And in his place was something else.
Though it caused me no trouble.
I thought it might be happiness.
This big warm bouncy bubble.
So now,
When I feel scared or sad,
My monster still comes to call.
I listen when he wants to speak.
I don't get stressed at all.
And when he's done I take a breath and follow him around.
I give a name to all his fears and this helps calm him down.
I take a big breath through my nose.
And you can try it too.
A long deep breath sent right onto the monster inside you.
Then breathe out slowly through your mouth and feel the sad come out.
Our monsters leave.
They feel all calm.
They now don't need to shout.
They clear off with a cheery wave.
They'll be back I suppose.
But you know what to do now right?
Take deep breaths through your nose.
