Just breathe!
“Just breathe. Take three deep breaths because you are three years old.” This is what I say to my son when he is angry, frustrated or just plain too excited. Usually after he takes his third deep breaths (properly), he has either calmed down enough to have a conversation or is ready to go onto the next activity.
Like any three year old, he repeats back to me what I say to him. So one day my husband and I were having a heated discussion and he turned to us and said, “Calm down. There are other ways to handle this situation. Just breathe.” At that moment, my husband and I were no longer fighting because we were laughing too hard. But, my son has a point. So the next time I got angry and needed to calm myself, I thought to myself just breathe.
Except, I decided to take 38 deep breaths for 38 years old; take the number of breaths based on your age. Low and behold by the time I got to 20 breaths I was calmed down; 38 deep breaths takes a hell of a long time. No, I do not do this every time; some times I cannot think that fast. But I realized when I do, the “situation” is not as bad as I thought or I am able to handle myself and my emotions better.
In light of everything going on around us, I wonder if we all took the number of breaths that is equivalent to our age, if perhaps, we would have far less angry people in the world. Or if nothing else, we learn a new technique to control our immediate impulses.
Seriously, try it! You will find in most circumstances you will have calmed down and most likely you will not have to count to your age to feel more at ease. Remember, just breathe!
