However, new starts don’t have to be so hard. You and your children don’t need to feel helpless. You just need to soften the flutters.

According to Ilchi Lee, originator of the Brain Education System Training (BEST) and author of Power Brain Kids, “Children may not be aware at first that the brain either consciously or unconsciously controls everything that they do and feel. The brain gives the orders, but it is the body that puts these orders into action.” And we can control this.

It is a good idea to teach children early what their body parts are and what they control or how they function. This will help your child know when something just isn’t right, and they will be better able to communicate this to you. So together you can figure out how to take action.

Like during those first few weeks of school when that belly just doesn’t feel right. Talk to your son or daughter to find out other symptoms—is it an illness or simply just nerves? Many children get a nervous stomach when they are stressed or worried. Try talking your child through any worries he or she may have.

If your child is still experiencing a nervous stomach, encourage him or her to try the following exercise, Pill Bug, excerpted from Lee’s Power Brain Kids.

• Sit on a soft mat, carpeting, or grass and hug your knees. Make your back round.

• Gently roll backward, from your tailbone to the top of your spine. Roll back again. Repeat 10 to 20 times.

Pill Bug is a great exercise for releasing tension from their stomach. It also encourages flexibility in the spine. And there’s nothing hard about it.