“What’s Your Story?” is a guest post feature on BCBA’s blog. Indie/Self-Published authors are invited to write about their books, writing journey, creative process, inspiration, rewards and challenges of publishing, etc. They can go in whatever direction they choose. We are excited and grateful for their willingness to share, and we hope you enjoy our guests’ stories.
Note: May is Mental Health Awareness Month
On February 28th of 2019, I published my first book B is for Breathe, with the goal being to inspire children to discuss their feelings, learn positive behaviors, and practice calm down strategies. The publication of B is for Breathe is a dream come true. I have always wanted to write a children’s book, and the process of writing was inspired by being a clinical psychologist and a mom.
Whether it is deep breathing, muscle relaxation, art, or writing about emotions, I wanted B is for Breathe to reflect a variety of different coping strategies and techniques to help children find their own special way of managing big emotions. As a clinical psychologist, I’ve learned the importance of healthy coping skills and the value of children developing coping skills at an early age. I am a psychologist in the army, and I primarily treat soldiers with behavioral health conditions, such as PTSD; however, I always seek opportunities to see family members. Through counseling children, I often hear parents say, “kids have nothing to be worry about,” “they should not be stressed,” and “they should be fine.” Nevertheless, I recognize children have a lot on their plate and do experience mental health concerns in response to personal, school, social, and family stressors, much more than some parents are aware of.
The goal of writing B is for Breathe was to help children identify skills that could help them cope with stressors in a healthy way and begin opening up the conversation about mental health, self-care, and resiliency. If children develop strategies and techniques at a young age, then hopefully, they can use and build upon these early developed skills as adults and live healthier and happier lives in response to the expected and unexpected things that comes with life.
In addition to being inspired by my experiences as a psychologist, I was also motivated to write B is for Breathe by being a mom. As an African American mother of three children (ages 6, 4, and 2), it was important that I write a book with characters that reflected images of my children. In fact, my children helped develop this book by sharing their own cool ideas about the illustrations and special ways they like to express and cope with fussy and frustrating feelings.
Reading is very common in my household. I have enjoyed helping my children develop a love for reading to expand their vocabulary, literacy skills, imagination, and knowledge about the world. My husband and I are intentional about seeking books by Black authors and with Black characters; however, it was important to me that B is for Breathe showed a diverse range of children, with minorities actually depicted as the majority.
It is my goal that this book reaches many children of all ethnicities. Thus far, it has been a helpful resource in homes and classrooms and for children ages 4-10, in addition to parents, educators, and counselors. I have thoroughly enjoyed the journey of self-publishing and look forward to reaching more young readers with more books that are fun and informative.
