Help Kids Identify Where they Hold Stress in their Bodies.
- Jill Ross Nadler
- Jul 1
- 3 min read
(And what does a Grumpy Lobster have to do with stress management for kids?)
A few days ago I had one of those weeks. Too many deadlines. Too many things to remember. A few projects that felt like they were balancing on a unicycle while juggling flaming torches. (Kenny can actually do that. I cannot.)
Everything was fine. FINE!!
Except for the lobster in my stomach. Pinching. Grabbing. Squeezing.
Not a real lobster, of course. (That would raise a LOT of questions.)
This one liked to snap its claws and say, "You. Yeah, you. Don't forget! You have seventeen thousand things to do!"
I imagined him looking just like Garth the Grumpy Lobster from my Selfish Shellfish story.
The funny thing is, the moment I noticed him, named him, imagined him... things started to change.
I took a few slow breaths. Relaxed my shoulders. Unclenched my jaw.
Garth didn't pack up and leave right away, but he did get a whole lot less pinchy.
That's the funny thing about stress. Sometimes simply identifying where you carry stress in your body is the first step toward calming it. Imagining it as a silly character doesn't hurt either.
Your Body Knows Before Your Brain Does
Our bodies usually know we're stressed before our brains catch up. They wave little flags long before we ever say, "I'm feeling anxious."
It can be even harder for kids because they don't always know what those signals mean.
Helping kids identify where they carry stress in their body is a great emotional regulation tool.
Instead of saying, "I'm feeling overwhelmed," they might say, "My stomach hurts," "I don't want to go," or "I'm mad!" Or they might have a complete meltdown because someone gave them the wrong colored cup.
It isn't always about the cup. Sometimes it's about the lobster.
That's why helping kids notice where they carry stress is such a powerful skill. The better kids get at recognizing those signals, the better prepared they are to use healthy coping strategies before those feelings become overwhelming.
This Is Exactly Why I Created Less Stress Express
One of the first stops on the Less Stress Express is Butterfly Belly Station.
(It sounds much better than Lobster Belly Station.)
Before kids learn Balloon Breaths, Lion Breaths, Lemon Squeezes, and all the other calming tools in the program, they become Body Detectives. They learn to notice where worries are hiding in their bodies. Head? Shoulders? Belly? Toes? (You can probably guess where I'm going with this.)
Yes, we play my version of Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes because movement is another great way to help kids manage big feelings AND it's a fun way for kids to pinpoint where worries live in their body.
This was one of the things about Less Stress Express that stood out to child psychologist Dr. Chris Thurber, who said:
"I love that you teach kids to recognize the physical feelings and thoughts that go along with stress."
That made my Storyologist heart do a happy dance.
Because once kids can recognize those early signals, they're much more likely to use healthy coping tools before those big feelings take over.
That's exactly what Less Stress Express is all about.
Through story-powered videos, imagination, movement, breathing exercises, creativity, and lots of laughter, kids build a toolbox of calming strategies they can use at home, at school, or anywhere life throws a grumpy lobster into their day.
A Fun Story-Powered Activity: Become a Body Detective
The next time your child seems upset, try asking:
"What is your body trying to tell you?"
Or...
"If your worry were an animal, what would it be?"
Maybe it's a butterfly. Maybe it's an elephant sitting on their chest. Maybe it's a lobster.
Encourage them to give the animal a name. Draw it. Talk to it. Write a story about it.
Stories give kids a safe way to explore big feelings, and imagination helps those feelings become a little less scary.
If you'd like to see how we help kids become Body Detectives (and learn lots of other fun, story-powered calming tools), I'd love to invite you aboard the Less Stress Express.
🚂 Take a peek at the program here:
And if your family would like to meet Garth the Grumpy Lobster, be sure to watch
the Selfish Shellfish on YouTube. While you're there, I'd love it if you'd subscribe for more story-powered adventures, creative activities, and imagination-powered fun.
After all... every great adventure starts with paying attention to the clues. Sometimes those clues are hiding in a story.
And sometimes...they're hiding in your stomach.
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