A Monster Named Zee takes the reader on a journey of learning to make friends with their anxiety. The main character, Lucas, displays the common somatic symptoms of anxiety that impact his everyday life. From stomach cramps, feeling like he is always going to fail because his mind is too clouded to think clearly, tingly sensations all over his hands, afraid to answer questions in class, fear of flying and public speaking, wanting to hide away, uncontrollable anger that appears to bubble up out of nowhere and feelings of worthlessness.
Rather than understanding the child's nervous system has become dysregulated due to an anxiety response, these somatic symptoms can be misunderstood, and a child is labeled as naughty or difficult. The child is punished for their body reacting in the natural ways it does when it feels under threat and not safe. As Lucas is given the tools from his mother to start to explore his anxiety, he learns to restore a sense of safety to his nervous system.
When Lucas becomes curious about exploring the feeling in his tummy that makes him feel sick, he gains the courage to look inside, he learns to use his voice, and he meets a new friend who he realizes is not actually scary but is scared. He names his anxiety Zee. Naming his anxiety allows Lucas to externalize his anxiety response and gives him the courage to implement the strategies that Zee needs to feel safe and calm.
The tools used to support Zee in feeling safe are simple tools that can be used by any parent or child in their home. These include learning to reduce negative intrusive thoughts, using fidget toys to reduce the tingly sensations in his hands, reducing the cloud in his mind to focus in class by bringing his 5 senses into alignment, speaking kind words over his negative self-talk, implementing an easy breathing technique that can restore the system back to calm in 16 seconds, moving his body, learning to relax before bedtime and the importance of using his wise mind to make decisions.
Together, Lucas and Zee can work together to manage the symptoms of anxiety so Louis can engage in everyday activities.
