My Marvellous Mind: A Journal for Big Little Emotions
By Areej Jaffrani
Illustrated by Denise Andrades
Saaya Health
Paramount Books (Pvt) Ltd.
ISBN: 978-627-31-0151-4
108pp.

Written by child and adolescent psychologist Areej Jaffarani and illustrated by Denise Andrades, My Marvellous Mind: A Journal for Big Little Emotions is a one of a kind children’s book from Pakistan. It is essentially a journal aimed at fostering emotional intelligence and mental well-being among children aged seven to 12, as suggested on the cover.

Designed in collaboration with Saaya Health, this book aims to promote Social-Emotional (SEL) skills in young minds and enable them to learn about their feelings, manage difficult emotions, build healthy self-esteem, and promote resilience. This book is oriented towards parents and caregivers to enable their children to navigate their thoughts and emotions.

Conceptually, it seems to have drawn inspiration from the pioneering parenting self-help book The Whole-Brain Child. Written by neuropsychiatrist Daniel J. Siege and parenting expert Tina Payne Bryson, that book breaks down the mind of a child and goes into details about how it is wired and how it evolves.

One way in which My Marvellous Mind takes a different approach to almost the same subject matter is how it is geared more towards children. The presentation of the subject is more illustrative and visual, so that the content is easily understood by children.

A pioneering Pakistani book provides self-care toolkits to foster emotional intelligence and mental well-being among adolescents

The book begins with a chapter dedicated to the self, which aims to help children figure out their own identity and preferences. That is followed by Dan Siege’s concept of ‘Upstairs and Downstairs’ brains which employs the analogy of a two-level house to explain features of children’s brains.

Technically speaking, the “upstairs brain” comprises the cerebral cortex, which is responsible for executive functions, including planning, reasoning, problem-solving, empathy, balancing emotions and decision making. This part is under development till the person reaches their mid-twenties.

The “downstairs brain” comprises the lower region of the brain that controls basic functions, which can be crucial for survival and safety. These functions include automatic actions, such as breathing and blinking, impulses such as fight and flight, and strong emotions such as fear and anger.

It is recommended that a child exercises more of their upstairs brain, since it significantly impacts one’s mental health, social skills and emotional intelligence. The book then illustrates the concept of “flipping our lid” which is when our emotional brain takes over and disconnects from the upstairs brain.

This is done through pictorial representations and interactive activities in an engaging and accessible way. Example scenarios use cartoon characters such as Guard Dog and Wise Owl, which will be memorable for children. They are then asked to give unique names to their own cartoon characters, which is an effective way of providing them ownership of their emotions and thoughts.

The relationship between thoughts and feelings has historically been a disputed chicken and egg situation. Do our physiological experiences, such as palpitations, trembling and muscle tension elicit anxious feelings, or do we have an anxious thought and then experience anxiety? What comes first?

This book can be an effective tool for children to assemble their own emotional well-being toolkit, step by step. Children are encouraged to choose their preferred manner of self-care from a list of self-care strategies. Then they are encouraged to draw their support system.

The next chapter is titled ‘The World of Feelings’. This section begins with a Personal Feelings Log which invites children to write when they feel a particular emotion. For example “When did I feel happy?” or “When did I feel worried?” It also requires them to contemplate other people’s emotions by asking questions about how their parents, siblings and friends behave when they are happy/ frustrated/ angry.

I found this section to be extremely pertinent, since our children, and even adults, are severely lacking in emotional literacy. Children in our society are only encouraged to express positive emotions and to suppress or “get over” the negative ones. Research has shown that when negative emotions are not duly processed, it negatively impacts our well-being, both physiologically and emotionally.

The next part gives an overview of the concept of ambivalent emotions in a quirky way. Psychologists describe this complex issue to children as “double-dip feelings”, since they are two simultaneous feelings, sort of like two flavours of ice cream scoops, right on top of each other.

These complex and, at times, contradictory emotions are complicated for kids to experience. It can be uncomfortable for them to feel two different things at the same time and might plunge them into a state of confusion or depression, since they do not know which feeling to act on.

Breaking down this concept through examples, such as the first day of school or the birth of a sibling, and identifying which two emotions each event is likely to elicit, will help them figure out how to address each emotion. This is followed by an ‘Emotion Map’ and ‘Feelings Thermometer’, which are compelling techniques to illustrate identification and regulation of emotions.

The triangle of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is thoughts, feelings and behaviour. This is elucidated in the next chapter. The relationship between thoughts and feelings has historically been a disputed chicken and egg situation. Do our physiological experiences, such as palpitations, trembling and muscle tension elicit anxious feelings, or do we have an anxious thought and then experience anxiety? What comes first?

Technically referred to as cognitive errors in CBT, unhelpful thinking styles are described as ‘Thought Monsters’ and the different types of styles are explained in understandable, simple terms. For instance, catastrophising is depicted as ‘The Freak Out Ghoul’, while disqualifying the positive is referred to as ‘The Dismisser.’

The latter part of this book focuses on building protective shields, in order to safeguard one’s mental health. This is again described in ways that are interesting for children to learn. ‘My Chill Skills’ are the coping skills required to ride the waves of thoughts and feelings. This includes working within the circle of control, mindfulness, self-soothing strategies and gratitude exercises.

The concept of neuroplasticity is broached, which emphasises our brain’s capacity to evolve and develop protective factors against mental health challenges. Stories of resilience are also mentioned of individuals that would resonate with young people, such as those of cricketer Babar Azam and musician Eva B.

While thoroughly charming, the only catch in this book is that the material in it is not really comprehensible for children between the ages of seven to 12, who are supposedly the target audience. In my opinion, this book is more suitable for those in their mid-teens.

However, because of its clear instructions, methods tailored to different age ranges and vivid examples, My Marvellous Mind is a brilliant resource in general, for children to foster healthy emotional and intellectual development.

The writer is a clinical psychologist and a freelance journalist. She can be reached at rabeea.saleem21@gmail.com

Published in Dawn, Books & Authors, July 14th, 2024