My Brilliant Brain: a Practical Resource for Understanding Anxiety and Implementing Self-calming

For effective use, this book should be purchased alongside the storybook. Both books can be purchased together as a set, My Brilliant Brain: A Storybook and Guide for Understanding Anxiety and Implementing Self-Calming, 978-1-032-06903-6.

This resource uses simple yet effective shared language for adults and children, allowing them to talk about anxiety, and taking away the shame and blame that children may experience in response to these emotions. It encourages sharing, allowing the feelings of worry and anxiety to become normalised and the child to feel more in control.

Full of activities and experiential learning for individual children, groups or classes, this guide covers topics such as:

• The brain, the amygdala, what anxiety is and how it is normal.
• Demonstrating and modelling calm, even if you are not, to help reassure and protect the children under your care.
• Self-calming activities and strategies.
• Being a Child in Charge – helping children to develop individual strategies that work best for them.

Designed for use alongside the storybook Myg and Me: Understanding Anxiety and Implementing Self-Calming, teachers, support staff, therapists and parents will find this guidebook an indispensable tool in the process of helping the children they interact with to feel a sense of self-determination and self-efficacy.

Liz Bates is an independent education consultant. She supports both primary and secondary schools in all aspects of Emotional Health and Wellbeing, and Safeguarding, including whole school approaches, training staff and delivering talks to parents. Liz is a Protective Behaviours Trainer, a Wellbeing Award Advisor for Optimus and a regular contributor at national conferences.