Editor’s Note: In our September issue, we kicked off our brand new back-page advice column called Life Skills Made Easy. In it, we tackle a different question each month, sourced straight from our Teen Advisory Board members—or your students! The goal is to provide teens with the simple, doable strategies that will help them succeed in school and in life.

Teachers, I know you’ve been there, and so have your students: That moment when a list of seemingly small stressors—the pile of work, next period’s exam, the fact that you forgot your lunch (again)—all compound to suddently send you straight into meltdown mode. Surely you’ve got your go-to coping strategies by now, but are your students equipped to stop a stress-storm in its tracks? Here at Choices, we believe having a stay-calm tactic is among the most essential of the essential life skills. (After all, it’s the thing you have to be able to do before you can move on to other problem-solving strategies!)  That’s why we were thrilled when Luis, a high school senior in Texas, was brave enough to ask us for help as part of our October Life Skills Made Easy column.  

Brainstorming the best experts for these columns has become a much anticipated activity for Team Choices, and this month, we couldn’t stop thinking about all of the high-pressure situations that top-tier athletes encounter in competition. What do they do to snap back from anxiety? What’s their secret weapon for staying calm and focused? These questions eventually led us to George Mumford, who many call the NBA’s "mindfulness guru." His fantastic explanation of stress—and the easy mindfulness exercise that accompanies it—will give your students a brand new choice every time they feel overwhelmed!

P.S. We also whipped up this little sign featuring Mumford’s Wise Words, which you can download for your classroom wall. (Visit this Ideabook post to also add our September poster—featuring Wise Words on Time Management—to your Gallery of Life Skills insight!)