Preventing Our Own Holiday Meltdowns
A Quick Mindfulness Practice from the 5 Principles of Parenting
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This Thanksgiving holiday, we could all benefit from a few tips on How to Stay Grounded in the Here and Now.
If you notice that your stress response often activates based on experiences from your past, your passcode might include a quick practice to remind yourself that you’re in the here and now.
Glance around. Look at the room or space where you are and notice five colors you see.
Breathe in through your nose. Breathing in through the nose allows the air to reach the lower lobes of your lungs, stimulating the parasympathetic system, which is in charge of restoration, re- laxation, and rejuvenation, as opposed to breathing in through the mouth, which can actually exacerbate panic and even cause hyper- ventilation.
As you notice the colors, name them. Say to yourself, Blue, then exhale through your mouth and say to yourself, Orange, and so on. It might feel goofy at first, but it’s better than un- leashing on your four-year-old, who has no idea about the inter- generational tempers you’re responding to.Â
You’ll get used to these practices as your self-regulation increases and your roots grow stronger.
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