An air tank lasts longer when you breathe slow. Calm isn’t just a mood, it buys you time.

Panic consumes resources quickly, and in some situations the resource is literally measured. Slow breathing extends the supply, which makes composure practical rather than a personality trait or a courtesy to other people. A long way from any tank, the same arithmetic applies to your energy, your money and your patience. Calm is a way of making what you have last.

In the next situation that starts to spin, slow your breathing out before you do anything else, counting four seconds on the way out. Then ask what you are actually running low on: time, energy, information. Spend accordingly.