Finding calm when things are at their most stressful is one of the biggest challenges in parenting. When our emotions take over, we lose self-control. We stop thinking rationally and are no longer present. We forget how much we love our children, how vulnerable they are—and that they depend on us to feel safe and protected in the world.

Instead, we go into a state of mindlessness. We don’t enter this state intentionally; it happens in the blink of an eye. When we lose our self-control, we lose our ability to self-regulate. And it can take hours, sometimes days, to get it back.