When Feelings Feel Too Big

When Feelings Feel Too Big Sometimes, feelings are small and quiet. They sit in your chest like sleeping butterflies, soft and gentle. But sometimes... sometimes feelings are big. Tonight, Maisie had a big feeling. It was enormous. It felt as heavy as an elephant sitting right on her heart. It felt as loud as a thunderstorm rumbling in her tummy. Maisie lay in bed and wondered what to do. The feeling was so big that it did not seem to fit inside her. It wanted to burst out. It made her want to cry, or shout, or hide under the covers forever. But then Maisie remembered something her teacher had said. "Big feelings are like balloons," her teacher had explained. "They can feel huge. But if you let a little air out, slowly and gently, they become smaller and smaller... until they are light enough to float away." Maisie looked at the window. The stars were twinkling outside. Maybe she could try. First, she took a deep breath in. She imagined filling up her own balloon... bigger and bigger, until her chest felt full of air. Then she breathed out, slowly. Shhhhhhh... like air leaking from a balloon. Something happened. The big feeling seemed to wobble, just a little. Maisie tried again. She breathed in deeply, counting slowly in her head. One... two... three... Then she breathed out, even more slowly. Four... five... six... seven... The feeling was still there, but it seemed smaller now. Less like an elephant. More like a big dog, perhaps. Maisie kept breathing. In through her nose, slow and steady. Out through her mouth, soft and gentle. With each breath, the feeling shrank a little more. It went from a big dog to a small cat. Then from a small cat to a fluffy rabbit. Then from a fluffy rabbit to a little mouse. Maisie kept going. Breathing in, slow and deep. Breathing out, soft and long. Each breath felt easier than the one before. Soon, the feeling was so small that Maisie could hardly feel it at all. It was as light as a feather. As soft as a cloud. And then... the most wonderful thing happened. Maisie imagined the tiny feeling floating up from her chest. It drifted towards the open window like a soap bubble. It caught the moonlight and shimmered, just for a moment. Then it floated out into the night sky, gentle and free. Maisie watched it go. She could see it getting smaller and smaller, rising up among the stars until it disappeared completely. The big feeling was gone. In its place, there was something new. Something calm and quiet. It was the peaceful feeling of an empty balloon, soft and still. Maisie smiled. Her body felt lighter now. Her chest felt open and free. The elephant was gone. The thunderstorm had passed. She snuggled down under her covers. The pillow felt soft beneath her head. The blanket was warm and cosy. The stars twinkled through the window, keeping watch over her like tiny guardians. Tomorrow, there might be new feelings. Some small, some big. But that was okay. Now Maisie knew what to do. She could breathe, slow and steady. She could let the air out, bit by bit. She could watch the feelings shrink and float away. Big feelings were not scary anymore. They were just balloons, waiting to be set free. And so Maisie closed her eyes. Her breathing was soft and even. The night wrapped around her like a warm blanket. She slept peacefully, dreaming of floating feelings and starlit skies. The end.