By Nancy O’Hara

Two tips to help you stay calm in the midst of holiday or everyday chaos:

1. Don’t Breathe
If you experience moments of stress, anxiety, or just plain “I don’t know what to do or think next,” or if racing thoughts have a way of controlling you and interfering with your peace of mind, here’s a simple practice: Stop what you’re doing, close your eyes, take a full, deep breath, and hold it for as long as you can. Have the intention of not thinking as you hold your breath. Just focus on the holding.

When you need to release your breath, do it slowly. Notice where in your body you were holding your breath – your throat? your chest? your belly? And then, take a deep inhalation from that area. Let the next exhalation be long and slow, dropping your breath deeper into your body as you let go. Do this three times before you return to whatever task you were engaged in.

Not breathing, followed by deep, slow breathing, is one tool you can use anywhere, anytime to center yourself and bring you some peace.

2. Do Only One Thing at a Time
We cannot do more than one thing at a time and expect to do them well. Even walking and chewing gum, for example. If we are truly focused on chewing gum, and enjoying the experience, we might trip or not notice a friend walk by. And if we’re paying attention to walking – where we are, what is around us, and how our body feels – we cannot savor our gum chewing experience.

So it is with other activities. When talking on the phone, just talk. When washing the dishes, just wash the dishes. When eating, just eat.

If you do just one thing at a time you will be more productive, less harried, and calmer in mind, body and spirit.

Nancy O’Hara is the editor of Together and the author of Find a Quiet Corner, Just Listen and other books on mindfulness and meditation. www.nancyohara.com