I know this sounds crazy, but sometimes I actually forget to breathe.
It’s not like I’m not breathing at all, but whatever breathing I’m doing is the shallow, barely surviving kind.
This usually happens when I’m with both kids by myself at a playground or crowded event, or trying to get everyone ready in the morning, or when I have pasta boiling over on the stove at the same time that somebody has an accident on the floor…so, ok, a lot of the time.
The best way for me to remember to breathe is to remind my kids to do it. I believe my son has inherited my tendency to get overwhelmed in the chaos and forget to breathe. If he’s building a tall tower of blocks and his little sister comes near it, I can almost see his veins popping out of his head. I'm not sure if any air is coming in or going out of those lungs. And when it does come out, it is usually in the form of "DON'T TOUCH MY TOWER!"
A friend of mine suggested saying to him, “Smell the flowers.” It’s more specific and kid-friendly than “just breathe.” It seems to work really well -- for him, and for me.
