Hey Warrior: A Book for Kids About Anxiety

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This is because the strengthening against anxiety happens only with experience. When the experience is in front of you, it can feel like bloodshed. I know that. I really do. But this is when we fight for them and with them - to show them they can do this. The plushie amygdala is your very own warrior, there to protect you. Measuring 40cm tall, it has super-soft fur, a way-too-cute head, and a heart of pure courage. It hates asparagus, loves blueberries, and isn’t too keen on footwear. It’s brilliant to have around, and not just because it will never steal your shoes. The cutoff for same-day dispatch on weekdays is usually 4pm, but if we’re busy, it could be earlier. 3:45pm is pretty safe. We also usually dispatch on Saturdays, and the cutoff is around noon. Obviously, for bank holidays, we will dispatch the next business day. It’s just brilliant. It’s going to be a staple in my toolkit as a school counsellor. Thank you!” -C.R. on Facebook

If anxiety has had extra big teeth lately, I know how brutal this feels. I really do. Think of it as the invitation to strengthen your young ones against anxiety. It’s not the disappearance of brave, or the retreat of brave. It’s the invitation to build their brave.

This workshop is for any professional who works with or within the education system, or with children or adolescents struggling with anxiety at school. Participants will learn practical strategies to effectively respond to children and teens with anxiety, as well as ways to capture the powerful buffering role school can play in strengthening all young people against anxiety at school and beyond. This is not ‘rewarding bad behaviour’. To think this assumes that they want to behave badly. They don’t. What they want is to feel calm and safe again, but in that moment they don’t have the skills to do that themselves, so they need us to help them. A sleeping buddy. Put your plushie close to you as you are falling asleep. As you feel it against you, pay attention to your breathing – let it be slow and relaxed. Then, imagine that your plushie is trying to fall asleep – try to be as still and as gentle as you can so as not to wake it up. This is a way to practise mindfulness and strengthen an anxious brain.

Karen can often be heard on Australian radio. She is a sought-after speaker and consultant and works with schools, government bodies, and child and adolescent focused organisations, both in Australia and overseas to build resources, implement procedures, and support the professional development of staff. She recently worked with Plan International Australia to create resources for parents in response to the recent Australian bushfires and the COVID-19 pandemic.Between the gorgeous illustrations and the incredible insights, the information provided within this storybook provides a powerhouse of information to help kids develop a growth mindset. Hey Warrior helps kids make sense of their anxiety, while also being encouraged to see it in a positive light. For our little scientists, the role of our brain’s amygdala is described as our personal warrior helping us to be prepared to battle any perceived threats. The author explains that anxiety “is amazing but it doesn’t always feel amazing” because your “fierce warrior is working for you, even at times when you don’t need protecting.” The author goes on to explain that as bossy as your amygdala can be, it works best when you (the child) insist on being the boss. She provides a strategy to help kids practice being ready to keep their warrior in control as needed. You know your child is capable of greatness. With some very specific strategies and solid information, we can make sure they know it too. Anxiety is the most common child and adolescent mental health concern. Anxiety is a very normal human response, but for as many as 1 in 5 young people in New Zealand the symptoms become so intrusive so as to interfere with day to day living. The effects can ripple from children, to their families, to the classroom, and into friendships. Anxiety can potentially undermine the way children see themselves, the world and their important place in it – but it doesn’t have to be this way. With the right support, children can be empowered with the skills and knowledge to manage anxiety and move forward with courage and resilience. Handling the distress of anxiety IS the work. Anxiety isn’t the disruption to building brave, it’s the invitation to build brave. As their important adult who knows they are capable, strong, and brave, you are the one to help them do that. A breathing buddy. Lie down, put your plushie on your belly and take strong, steady breaths. If your plushie moves up and down as your breathe, your breathing is perfect – strong, steady, and from your belly – exactly the type that will calm anxiety.

I love how this storybook helps kids learn about their anxiety in a manner that helps them understand its role in our lives while also learning how to not let it take over our lives. Learning about one’s own internal experiences and how to manage them is the ultimate cognitive behavioural teaching. Young readers will not only learn about their own brains, but understand how they can learn to manage their internal reactions. The book goes on to talk about how anxiety forms itself in a part of the brain called the amygdala. The story continues with the amygdala becoming a protective friend, ‘a super hero’. Giving it a name, immediately makes it friendly allowing the reader to feel comfortable. The book takes you on a journey about what to expect when going through an anxious period. Seeing, through clever descriptive text and wonderfully imaginative illustrations, the way in which anxiety can form itself makes the reader feel in control and at ease with their feelings. Of course we love them, no matter what - but they need to feel us loving them, no matter what. Especially when they are acting in unlovable ways, or saying unlovable things. Especially then.

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On the other hand, when they stay with the discomfort of anxiety - and they only need to stay with it for a little longer each time (tiny steps count as big steps with anxiety) - the amygdala learns that it’s okay to move forward. It’s safe enough. What’s important making sure they don’t feel alone in their distress. We can do this with validation, which shows our emotional availability. This is not about dropping the boundary, but about holding it lovingly, ‘I can see you’re doing it tough right now. I’m right here. No, I won’t let you [name the boundary]. I’m right here. You’re not in trouble. We’ll get through this together.’