17 year old Quincy Kadin has struggled with anxiety for as long as she can remember. Growing up, her mom always created a safe space for her to express her struggles, especially during their "car talks," but as Kadin grew up, she noticed that not everyone had the same support dealing with children’s anxiety.
After seeing an increase in anxiety among young children during the pandemic, she felt compelled to help and with the help of illustrator Adhemas Batista, Kadin knew the best way for her to reach was with her own words, in a children’s book.
"Frankie’s Fishy Feelings" follows Frankie the shark as she navigates a wave of anxiety and stress through her first day of kindergarten. Her journey takes readers through all the emotional ups and downs of her first day, and focuses on specific methods that Frankie learns to manage her fears of a new environment. By talking with her therapist and mom, she learns to calm her anxiety, allowing her to swim through a successful first day of school.
While the book aims to provide kids with their own coping mechanisms, Kadin said adults are also critically important which is why her own mom and therapist are represented as characters in the book.
"I think that younger kids really don’t have a vocabulary around anxiety. Through reading the book, you get those words, you read anxiety, and you can put a name to the feeling," said Kadin.
Although the publishing process itself was intimidating at first, the writing came easy with the aquatic theme inspired by her time working at a children’s beach camp.
"It’s definitely scary to put your story out there for so many people. But it also felt really good to take a tough situation and turn it into something positive that’s going to help people," she said.
Created with a children’s therapist at UCLA, Bubble Breathing, Counting Your Fingers, and Feeling your Feet are three tools Frankie uses as her own super power to take on the day.
"I wanted it to not just be a book about anxiety. I wanted it to be a book that helps with anxiety and takes it a step further," Kadin said.
Kadin said readers can reread the book whenever they’re feeling anxious or hopefully, internalize the coping strategies to help them relax.
Kadin knows the power of these tools, specifically for calming panic attacks.
"They can really make you feel like you’re out of control, and these strategies can bring that power back to your body," she said.
She hopes the conversation around the book will inspire more discussion between children, parents, and schools about how to talk about and support mental health.
Kadin said the approach to children's anxiety may differ depending on the age of the reader with the book serving as a conversation opener for younger students but that more mature readers might take the lessons and expand them into conversations with peers or adults.
"But really just recognizing that everyone has anxious feelings, or depression, or any mental health kind of struggle, I think that there’s a lot of stigma to it." she said.
A Santa Monica local, Quinn Kadin is proud to represent the city in both her book, and in her own story.
"I think that in Santa Monica, there’s definitely a lot of conversation about mental health versus other places, and that’s really made me become comfortable with just talking about my story. I think that the support that comes with living here, it’s amazing," she said.
The book is available as of World Mental Health Day, October 10, and will be available on her website or through Amazon. Kadin’s website also takes donations that will be used to fill elementary schools in California with a copy of the book.
Visit frankiesfishyfeelings.com for more information.
Antoinette Damico, SMDP intern
