My Secret Superpower
The one practice that helps me reset in the chaos of life.
I was standing outside Room 312, about to deliver news that would change everything for the family inside. Stage IV pancreatic cancer not responding to treatment. Three months, maybe less.
My heart was racing. My breath had gone shallow—a physiological response I recognized but couldn’t seem to stop. In thirty seconds, I would need to be present, clear, and compassionate for people in the worst moment of their lives.
So I did the one thing I knew would work- my secret superpower.
And it still amazes me how incredibly simple the thing is.
I took three intentional breaths and recited the words:
Just this breath. Just this breath. Just this breath.
By the time I walked through that door, my nervous system had downshifted from fight-or-flight into connection. I could meet their eyes. I could hold space for their shock and grief. I could be the doctor—and the human—they needed.
Why It Works
When we’re overwhelmed—by responsibilities, fear, or grief—the sympathetic nervous system takes over. The heart rate spikes. Cortisol floods the body. The prefrontal cortex—where empathy and clear thinking live—goes offline.
We stop responding thoughtfully. We just react.
But the breath is the one part of the autonomic nervous system we can consciously control.
When we lengthen the exhale, we activate the vagus nerve. This sends a clear signal to the body:
You are safe. You can soften.
Heart rate slows. Cortisol decreases. The prefrontal cortex comes back online.
It’s not mystical—it’s measurable physiology. And it works whether you’re a doctor about to deliver bad news or a parent in the cereal aisle trying not to lose it.
Just This Breath
This is why the practice I use everywhere is so effective.
Inhale slowly through your nose. Feel the air fill your lungs.
Exhale gently through an open mouth. This is the part that tells your body: You can relax.
As you breathe, focus all of your attention on the rhythm. In your mind, recite: Just this breath.
Repeat 3–5 times.
Not the breath that just passed. Not the next one coming. Just. This. Breath.
I use this method daily—in the hospital corridor, in the car before school pickup, in the middle of a hard conversation. It's the fastest way I know to settle my nervous system and return to myself.
Three Breaths, Three Worlds
In oncology, three conscious breaths help me release one patient’s story before receiving another’s.
In motherhood, they create a pause between my ten year old’s eye roll and my reactive response—often saving us both from a conversation we’d regret.
In meditation teaching, I watch students discover what I learned years ago: the breath doesn’t ask us to be better. It simply invites us to return to ourselves.
For Right Now
If you’re reading this in the middle of a long day—whether you’re caring for others, carrying invisible stress, or simply trying to make it through—try this:
Exhale fully. Let go of what just happened.
Inhale slowly: Just…
Exhale slowly: This breath.
Feel your nervous system shift. Notice the space that opens.
That’s it. No rules. No goals.
Just you, returning to yourself.
You don’t have to fix it all right now.
You don’t need all the answers.
You just need to return—to this moment, to this breath, to yourself.
Because sometimes, in a world that demands everything, the most radical act is simply staying present for what’s right in front of you.
One breath at a time.
With love,
Punam
🌱 PS: If this resonated with you and you’re a mother craving more calm, clarity, and connection, I’m opening enrollment soon for Rooted Mothers—my 6-week live program for mothers who want practical, science-backed mindfulness tools they can actually use in real life.
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