I have always preferred breakneck speed to slow and considered. Ready, fire, aim has, for good or for ill, been a hallmark of my personality and of my life. You can call it ADHD, as others have, or you can just do as I do, and accept it as who I am.

My mother’s most frequent admonition to me was “breathe” and my own mantra is “slow down and calm down” which, I confess, I repeat more often than I would care to count. I know I am not alone in this, whether attention deficit or not, we are all living our lives at an unceasing full tilt.

I am particularly feeling that at this time of year. There is too much on the plate, in every aspect of life, and I wonder how it is all going to happen. When I verbalize it, I say “It’s a lot right now” but what I really mean is that we are more than a little overwhelmed and overloaded.

We all know ways to help address these pressures. We know that we can manage our lists and our commitments, we know we can say no, although most of us, (myself included) struggle with that. We can decide to give ourselves a break and mean it. But the thing I think most accessible to us at all times is to follow my mother’s sage advice and breathe.

When your adrenaline is up and your heart is pounding and you feel more than a little frantic, take a time out, just for a minute. Find a place where you can be quiet, with no phones ringing or emails binging or people talking to you. Stand against a wall, sit in a chair with your feet on the floor, lie down in an environment that is conducive. Place one hand on your chest and the other on your belly and either close your eyes or just soften your gaze. Then just listen to your breath. Feel it fill beneath your hands. Slow your inhales and exhales down and just listen to the air going in and out. And feel your heart rate calm, feel your mind begin to settle. Give yourself that pause whenever you need it and let your breath nourish you and help you to fill your full heart.