If you’re up at night Googling things like “my child has no friends” or “why does my child feel left out at school”, you’re not alone. For many children aged 7–10, friendship suddenly becomes a big deal. Being included feels amazing. Being left out can feel crushing — and not just emotionally. Research shows that loneliness and physical pain use similar pathways in the brain, which explains why kids often describe exclusion as feeling like it hurts . This is exactly why Wellb

By Lena Way — Author of Wellbeing Hacks  One of the biggest “aha” moments I’ve had as both a mum and a wellbeing author is this:Most kids today can list 10 things they’re bad at… but struggle to name even one thing they’re good at. I don’t want that for any of our kids. Children — especially children with anxiety, sensitive kids, or kids who compare themselves to others — tend to focus on their weaknesses automatically. Their brains latch onto mistakes, worries, social slip-u

A mum’s journey into neuroscience, big feelings, and why I accidentally ended up writing a book for kids If you’re raising a child right now, chances are you’ve heard (or yelled), “JUST CALM DOWN!” more times than you can count. I used to think calming down was simply a matter of “trying harder.” Then I learned that for kids, calming down is much more like trying to stop a runaway train… with a pool noodle. I only learned any of this because I was a mum desperately trying to

Inspired by Wellbeing Hack #7: Be Proud If you’ve got a 7–10-year-old, you already know this age is full of magic and meltdown in equal measure. One minute they’re flying through life, the next they’re worrying about a friendship drama, a test, a sports try-out, or whether their shoelaces look “weird”. These years come with a huge jump in self-awareness — and for many kids, that also means a jump in self-doubt. When I wrote Hack #7: Be Proud  in Wellbeing Hacks, I didn’t incl

Empathy isn’t just ‘being nice.’ Research shows it’s one of the strongest predictors of friendship quality, resilience, prosocial behaviour, and even protection against bullying. Kids who develop empathy in primary school are more likely to include others, stand up for someone who’s being left out, and build healthier social skills over time. For 7–10-year-olds — right in the middle-childhood sweet spot — empathy is a skill that can be taught, practised and strengthened. And

New research in child development and neuroscience is making one thing clearer than ever: the years before age 10 shape how children understand their emotions, handle stress, build confidence, and relate to others. A major 2025 study from the University of Cambridge found that the human brain develops in distinct “epochs,” with a major shift occurring around age 9. This confirms what parents see every day — the early and middle-childhood years are a critical window for emotio

Before I read Wellbeing Hacks, I thought something was wrong with me.Sometimes my worries were loud  — asking the same question over and over, crying and fidgeting.Other times they were quiet  — I’d go silent and my thoughts would spiral. I didn’t know both meant the same thing - my brain was trying to protect me. My brain has an alarm system Frizz explains this thing called the “ancient brain.”It’s like a tiny alarm that goes off way too fast. When something feels confusing,

Based on the Wellbeing Hacks approach For many children (including mine), bedtime is the moment the world goes quiet but their thoughts get loud.  During the day, children are busy. There’s school, friends, play, screens, noise, and movement. Their brain doesn’t have much time to notice worries because they’re distracted. But at night, when the lights go off and the room gets still, the brain says: “Oh. Now I have time to think.” This is when we see: “What if something bad ha

If you’ve seen your child go from calm to panicked in seconds, you’ve witnessed something ancient inside the human brain at work. Inside all of our brains is a small but powerful structure called the amygdala.In Wellbeing Hacks, Frizz calls it the “almond-shaped ancient brain thingy” — the part that’s been with humans since cave times, keeping us alert to danger. Back then, the amygdala kept us alive and alert to big-fanged predators.Today , it still tries  to keep kids safe

Children feel deeply. Their emotions move quickly, and often before they have words to explain what’s happening inside them. One of the most powerful things we can teach them is that their brain and body already come equipped with internal tools designed to help them feel steady, supported and safe. These tools are the hormones and neurochemicals that influence mood, confidence, connection and resilience — and Wellbeing Hacks teaches children how to activate them in ways that

The importance of emotional regulation skills in middle childhood Mental health clinicians know the data well: Half of all mental illnesses begin before age 14. (Kessler et al., 2007; WHO World Mental Health Survey) 14% of children aged 4–12 experience a mental health disorder in any given year. (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2023) Early patterns of emotional regulation, cognitive framing, and relational safety form the protective scaffolding that shapes adolesc

I always say this first, because I mean it: I’m not a psychologist, and I’m not a psychiatrist.I’m just a mum who wanted to help her kids through the hard stuff. This whole journey began quietly.I spent months Googling “how to help an anxious child” , hoping for something clear, something practical, something real. But most of what I found felt too clinical, too abstract, or too hard to actually use in the moment when your child is crying, scared, or overwhelmed. Wait times f

Evidence-based prevention + simple tools children actually get If you’ve got a child aged 7–10, you’ve probably seen it: big feelings, wobbly mornings, tight tummies, school refusal, overwhelm, and moments where you’re not sure how to help. Many families feel like anxiety in children is now a normal part of growing up.But here’s the truth: Mental health skills taught early don’t just help children cope now — they protect them later. And the research is remarkably consistent.