This looks silly, but it will calm you down.

Here’s an anecdote, an exercise and an inspiration.

Anecdote: Last weekend, I had the pleasure of babysitting for my 6-month-old nephew. He had just learned how to sit up unassisted. My sister said I’d need to help him return from sitting to a reclined position on his back or belly. But within a few minutes of her departure (bless her — she took my kids to a carnival), the baby wiggled forward to his belly by himself and began rolling around his play mat with delight.

May we all remember to move and try new things with wonder and curiosity and without expectation.

Exercise: You might have heard that humming is a calming activity. It is especially so when practiced like in this video: Use your fingers to lightly close your ears and eyes. Inhale through the nose, then block the nostrils as you hum on an exhale. Repeat a few times, and see how you feel. Then, if you want, tell me about your experience in the comments.

Inspiration: Rest in peace, Stanford neuroscientist James Doty. Here’s a 1-minute morning practice for grounding that I’ve loved since hearing Dr. Doty recommend it in a podcast interview several months ago:

When you wake up, either still lying down or sitting up in bed, place your hands on your heart, feel it beating, and focus on your breath.

Inhale through the nose for the count of 4, hold for 4, and exhale a sigh out your mouth.

Repeat this breath cycle for 1 minute, about 6 times.

I recommend Dr. Doty’s book “Mind Magic.”

Many people find it confusing to remember the difference between the sympathetic (fight or flight) and parasympathetic (rest and digest) states of the nervous system. Dr. Doty brilliantly dubbed them “fear mode” and “love mode.” It’s important to be able to go into fear mode when we are, say, being chased by a tiger, but love mode is where we’re meant to be most of the time.

What helps you move from fear to love?