This is a breathing technique that also helps ground you when you are feeling overwhelmed. The name also describes what you are doing, putting one hand near your heart, and one hand on your stomach while you take deep breaths. Feel the sensation of the breath coming in, filling your lungs, pushing out your stomach, and feeling the breath as it leaves your body. This technique can help bring you back to the moment, and remind you that you are in control of your breath. Try it out and see how it works for you.

Progressive muscle relaxation is a technique where you focus your attention on your body, starting at the toes or the top of the head, and you work your focus through the rest of your body one body part at a time. As you focus on each body part you notice there is any tension, and you let it go. Then you move on to the next body part, notice if there is tension, and move on until you have moved through the whole body. It can be helpful for some people to imagine that the warming glow of the sun is slowly moving through their body helping relax each body part. Or you can tighten the muscles in each body part, and then when you release the tension you have created you will also release the tension that was already present in your body.

To teach children this technique I like to call it hard spaghetti cooked spaghetti. This activity works well when an adult does the activity together with the child. I make each body part tight and point at the body part as I say it, pausing to give the child time to follow along after each body part I add.

I start by saying tighten up all the muscles in your feet, scrunching them up. Then tighten all the muscles in your legs, then tighten the muscles in your stomach, tighten the muscles in your back, tighten the muscles in your chest, tighten the muscles in your shoulders, tighten the muscles in your arms and hands, tighten the muscles in your neck, tighten the muscles in your face (the sillier you can make your face look, the better), and then you turn into… cooked spaghetti (let it all go wiggling your arms and body)!

The 5 senses grounding practice is a technique that is helpful to bring yourself back to the present and ground yourself. Stop and think about all of your five senses:

• What are the things that you hear right now (clock ticking, air conditioning blowing, typing, birds chirping, etc)?
• What are the things that you smell (perfume, soap, food, etc)?
• What are the things you see around you?
• What are the things that you taste (coffee or tea that you have been drinking, mint, something that you have been eating, etc)?
• What are the things you feel (air blowing, you legs and back pressing into a chair, feet on the ground, computer keyboard, pen in your hand, sun on your face, etc)?

Taking a moment to bring yourself back to the present moment can help you calm down and refocus your thoughts, giving yourself back the control over your body and your mind.

Self guided imagery is a technique you can use to clear your mind and think about the most peaceful place you can imagine. Some people think about the beach, some think about the woods, some think of sitting in a hammock, it can be any place that you think is peaceful. As you imagine yourself in this place, think about what your five senses are experiencing (sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell).

An example of the woods would be:

• sight: seeing the trees, maybe you see a squirrel in one of the trees, or dew on the leaves
• sound: you hear the leaves crunching under you feet, you hear the squirrel clambering up the tree, a bird chirping from above, you hear the wind blowing through the leaves and branches
• touch: you feel the crisp breeze on your skin, you feel the rough bark on a tree with your hand, you can feel the leaves and moist dirt under your feet, you can feel the cool dew on the leaves
• taste: You can taste air as you are taking a deep breath, that slight tinge of fall
• smell: you smell the fresh air, the earthy scent of the plants growing around you, and rotting leaves

The more detail you think of, the more you can release your mind from whatever is going on. As you release your mind, you calm your body, and relax.

Do you ever try deep breathing when your thoughts are taking over? I have found this helpful when my thoughts are going a mile a minute and taking control of my focus.

Breathe in slowly to the count of 8, hold for the count of 2, and slowly breathe out to the count of 10. This helps your mind focus on something concrete, and it helps slow down your thoughts and calm down your body.

This can be a great technique for parents to practice with their kids. Parents and kids can practice taking big deep belly breaths in and blowing out slowly with a bottle of bubbles and a bubble wand. The more steady and strong the breath, the bigger the bubble you can make. See who can make the biggest bubble!