My Anxiety is like a rocket shooting off into the sky and following me around. It makes me do stuff and not do stuff. It’s a browny, red colour and its cold, but it shoots out a big pump of fire underneath.
Sometimes my sister and brother set the rocket off, when there is bullying or lying going on. My sister once attacked me with a knife. That was like my sister with rocket-fuel shoes on. Some of the biggest rocket launches are when the Year 6’s are bullying and when I see mum leaving the house.
When the Anxiety rocket launches, it goes into outer space and Planet Stress keeps the rocket flying there for longer. It’s a place of black holes, satellites and meteors that explode. The galaxy is the worst place where Anxiety increases, making the rocket go cold and dark. When the rocket lands on Planet Stress, it makes me feel tired, close my eyes and not want to do stuff. If the rocket lands on a space station it can even set off a nightmare.
I have great skills in trying to stop the rocket taking off or bringing it back down to earth if it’s circulating in outer space. This is like stepping in front of the Control Desk.
When mum says she is going out for a walk, I notice the rocket getting restless as if it is counting down to five and almost ready to launch. I try to keep the rocket on the launchpad by ‘trying to stop it’. I might go out into the front yard and sit by the tree.
It has big leaves and a window in the middle. When sitting by the tree, the rocket nearly disappears out of site, sucking up Anxiety and making me feel happy again. I notice the rocket starts to break down, when I talk to the animals or birds. I am excited about the big tree at the new house I am moving to, that is going to be turned into a tree house.
Sometimes I put on my ‘box helmet’ made out of cardboard and take some time out lying on the floor of my room. This is my way of “finding space”, a different kind of space that the rocket likes to fly in. When I put the helmet on my head and rest with it on, it allows the smoke to clear. The helmet is like a magnetic box which time travels the rocket back to the ground.
After a nightmare, I try to block off the rocket’s launch system by staying awake and trying not to think about the nightmare. Instead, I might think about super day at school and what’s going to happen the next day. I also cuddle up to my toy ducky or hang out with my dog next morning.
At school if there’s bullying going on, I like to talk to my friend and work out together what games we are going to play. This brings comfort, because talking to adults at school about bullying doesn’t always work.
Here are some of the other ways, I keep the rocket grounded from the Control Desk.
- playing with the dogs and cat
- playing in my safe place in the backyard
- Playing block craft on the ipad
- Watching you tube
- Listening to music on you tube
- Staying home
- Being with my friends
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