Welcome back to the Heart Hotel! Seven-year-old Louie is an excellent Hotel Manager, but today, a shivering, jumpy, wide-eyed guest has arrived at the front desk. Fear has checked in, and he brought a heavy suitcase packed full of "what-ifs" and worries!
 
When Louie tries something new or hears a loud noise in the real world, he feels a cold flutter in his chest, and his heart starts to beat super fast. It can be tempting to hide under the covers and pretend the jumpy guest isn't there, but Louie remembers the Golden Rule:

"Every guest is welcome, every guest gets a room, and nobody stays forever."
Instead of locking Fear out in the dark, Louie bravely guides him to a safe, bright room. By turning on a warm lamp, taking slow and steady breaths, and talking about what is scaring him, Louie learns that it is 100% okay to feel afraid.
 
What little managers will learn in this story:
 
Identification: Recognizing the fast-beating heart and cold, fluttery feeling of fear in the body.
Courage: Understanding that being brave doesn't mean you aren't scared; it means feeling fear and moving forward anyway.
Regulation Tools: Using grounding strategies (like taking steady breaths, turning on a light, or talking to a grown-up) to calm a frightened body.
Comfort: Discovering that if you give Fear a safe place to rest and shine a little light on his worries, his scary shadows shrink away, and he peacefully checks out!