Mindfulness is about focusing your attention on experiencing the present without judgment from the past or worries about the future. It helps us calm our minds and bodies when stressful things happen. According to neuroscientists, practicing mindfulness appears to reduce activity in the parts of the brain called the amygdala and the prefrontal cortex, which helps us react less intensely to stressors.
This gets easier when we take a few minutes every day to build up our “mindfulness muscle.” Then when something stressful happens, we can use mindfulness to calm ourselves and think clearly about what to do next.
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Put your hand on your belly and take a big deep breath so that your belly goes up, and then with a long slow exhale feel your belly go back down.
Kids can do this too!
Journaling can help us check in with ourselves and express our emotions, and find a sense of calm.
