Ruby's Worry by Tom Percival is a great companion to the book I shared last week, Jack's Worry. Ruby loves to swing and explore. Ruby is happy child and one day she discovers a worry. The worry was very small. She went on with her day until she realized the worry wasn't leaving her and it continued to grow. She was very surprised to discover no one else at school could see her worry. Her worry thoughts were ruminating. I love comparisons Tom Percival makes for how big Ruby's worry is - "It filled up half of the school bus." As the story progresses the worry which is represented by the color yellow grows bigger and the background of the story grows darker. Luckily, Ruby finds a boy in the park and notices he has a worry too! You can just sense her worry thoughts slowing down. Her new friend shares his thinking with Ruby and she then opens up to him sharing her own thoughts.
Together they support each other and the worries go away.
One strategy to stop worry thinking is talking about it which can be very hard. I love how Tom Percival has the boy model sharing his own thinking which guides Ruby to share her own thoughts.
"Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act." (mental health.gov) I hope you find this post helpful in supporting mental wellness. "Wellness is an approach to preventing illness and prolonging life as opposed to emphasizing treating diseases." (dictionary.com) Let's be proactive in and out of our classrooms.
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