Thanks for visiting! I’m not a psychologist. I’m not a psychiatrist. I’m just a mum who wanted to help her kids through the tricky stuff.

 

This book began as something small. It started off as a couple of activity sheets to help my children when they felt anxious, overwhelmed or unsure of themselves.

 

But it turned into me going down a four-year rabbit hole of research into neuroscience and positive psychology. I wanted to give my kids wellbeing tools they could use not just as little people, but throughout their lives.

 

The more I researched, the more I learnt that wellbeing skills taught from a young age form strong protective factors for later life.

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Globally, one in seven 10-19-year-olds and fourteen percent of 4-12-year-olds experience a mental health disorder. Depression, anxiety and behavioural disorders are among the leading causes of illness and disability among adolescents.

 

We teach our kids how to tie their shoelaces, brush their teeth, and cross the road safely. We can also teach them mental health skills to cope with anxiety, bounce back from hard days, and build strong, calm and happy minds.

 

That’s what I hope this book is for you and your little people, a toolkit with all the mental health strategies you need to help your kids ‘hack’ their wellbeing. If Wellbeing Hacks can help one child, it's been worth it.

 

Thank you for joining me on this journey to help our kids thrive — from the inside out.

 

Lena Way

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How will your children benefit from Wellbeing Hacks?​

Wellbeing Hacks gives children relatable resources for anxiety and stress. It has all the tools children need to calm their minds, manage their worries and become confident, resilient and thriving young people. Even if your children pick up one or two hacks that stay with them for life, that's a win for their wellbeing.

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1. Emotional Regulation & Stress Reduction

✔ Learn exactly what to do when they feel worried, angry, or upset (CBT, vagus nerve hacks, 'Calm Your Mind' hacks).
✔ Develop awareness of body signals (tight chest, fast heartbeat) and know how to calm them.
✔ Better sleep = better brain – kids learn why sleep boosts memory, mood chemicals (serotonin, dopamine), and focus.

 

2. Mental Health & Resilience Education

✔ Question and reframe unhelpful thoughts (CBT). Kids learn that some responses come from the brain’s “alarm system”

    (amygdala), which sometimes overreacts, but they can plug into another system which overrides this alarm.

✔ Reframe negative thoughts – rewiring the “thinking brain” (prefrontal cortex) to take charge instead of letting the “worry brain”

    take over.
✔ Bounce back faster after mistakes or setbacks (resilience training).
✔ Build self-compassion instead of self-criticism.
✔ Reduce social anxiety by having conversation starters & “joining in” phrases.

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3. Confidence & Growth Mindset

✔ Understand that their brain can grow stronger with practice (through neuroplasticity).
✔ Celebrate small wins to build motivation and persistence (dopamine loops).
✔ Shift from “I can’t” to “I can learn how” thinking.

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4. Social Skills & Friendships

✔ Make and keep friends (active listening, compliments, empathy).
✔ Read other people’s feelings better (mirror neurons practice).
✔ Stand up for themselves (assertive but kind boundary setting).
✔ Learn how to deal with bullying confidently.

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5. Everyday Happiness & Life Satisfaction

✔ Boost feel-good chemicals naturally (serotonin, oxytocin, endorphins).
✔ Feel grateful and positive about life more often (gratitude rewires the brain).
✔ Learn to like school more by focusing on what’s good there.

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6. Practical Wellbeing & Lifestyle Habits

✔ Eat “good mood” foods to fuel their brain.
✔ Stay active in ways that are fun and manageable.
✔ Build daily wellbeing routines that don’t feel like “therapy.”

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7. Long-Term Skills for Life

✔ Develop emotional literacy (naming and understanding feelings).
✔ Learn problem-solving steps they can use forever.
✔ Strengthen brain-body awareness, making them better at handling stress as teens and adults.

✔ Exercise + laughter = endorphins, the brain’s natural pain and stress relievers.

✔ Gratitude = serotonin boost, making kids feel calmer and happier.

✔ Kindness = oxytocin release, which builds connection and trust with others.​​​

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