Happy childhood, happy adulthood.
No doubt growing up comes with more challenges than many are prepared to handle, but a mother and daughter in Fort St. John have teamed up to launch a new book series to help parents give their children the tools to deal with their emotions and overcome those challenges.
Bev Berg and Megan Knott released four new short books at Peace Gallery North Feb. 2, including My Super Wicked Awesome Family, Adelaide, Baby Is Sleeping, and Imagine If Maybe, You Had A Cloud. The books are part of their mental health initiative called Rosy Window Productions, in the works for two years, and which mixes stories, pictures, meditation, and hypnotherapy.
"We have noticed over the years a lack of resources for people dealing with mental health issues," says Berg, who works as a counselling hypnotherapist.
"(The books are) putting tools in the hands of the young so they can grow up with a happy life."
Each book has a theme and comes with an accompany script and meditative audio to listen to after reading.
My Super Wicked Awesome Family, for instance, deals with how to move through life with gratitude; Adelaide deals with overcoming anxiety; Imagine If Maybe, You Had A Cloud emphasizes the importance of imagination while teaching self-relaxation tricks.
"I believe we're so busy we've lost a connection to keep us grounded. We don't give ourselves time to daydream," says Knott, an elementary teacher.
The books are the result of both personal experiences and those of family and friends. The meditative audio is meant refocus the mind after reading, and reinforce the theme of the books. Meditation and mindfulness should be an every day part of life, says Berg.
"When somebody is relaxed, the subconscious is open to suggestion," Berg says. "When your brain waves slow down, that's the time you can give positive reinforcement and affirmations."
The books were illustrated by local artists.
Tamsyn Gregory lent her artistry to Baby Is Sleeping and Imagine If Maybe, You Were A Cloud. Being involved was both a laborious and therapeutic process, said Gregory, who turned to painting to help her cope through the chronic pain she suffers after complications of surgery.
"When I first sat down to meet (Bev and Megan) the first time and they told me their vision, I just started crying, they started crying," Gregory said.
Each of Gregory's paintings in the books took up to 30 hours, and she had to sit on blocks of ice throughout the process, painting for just 15 minutes at a time because of her pain. Gregory said her two children have had to watch her struggle through that pain, at the same time growing up through a divorce.
"They've dealt with things that not a lot of adults have dealt with," Gregory said.
But, the books, and art, have given Gergory a chance to help other kids growing up in the face of adversity.
"No matter how hard life gets, you can find beauty in it," she said.
Learn more about the books at rosywindow.com.
editor@ahnfsj.ca
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February 10, 2018 at 02:15PM
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