Our breath is our superpower. When we breathe, we are sending signals to our brain and body that everything is okay. We’re creating space in which we can respond – instead of mindlessly react – to the situation at hand. If you feel yourself starting to escalate to an out-of-control feeling, then you may tell yourself to take a breath, because you know it will help you feel better and get back on track. With practice, the breath will show up automatically and help you to regulate.

When I teach mindfulness to kids, we talk about all this stuff – we learn about the brain, and why it reacts the way it does when we get stressed out or frustrated, then we learn how to get control back with our breath. We practice breathing during our mindful minute, and we learn fun (yet functional) breaths, like balloon breath and finger breathing.