Learning just a few simple practices is all it takes to start being mindful.

The first step on your mindfulness journey is to learn some key practices. Together, these practices form a foundation for a calmer, more compassionate mindset. They’ll also help you make better decisions.

Here’s the first one: mindful breathing. You can do this any time, any place. It should be your go-to exercise when you feel your mind wandering or when daily life throws a curveball at you and you need to calm down fast. Simply stop whatever you’re doing and redirect your focus to your breath. Pay attention to the sensation in your nose as you draw in air and to the feeling in your chest as it rises with your breath and then falls again.

Once you’ve followed your breath for a while, you can move on to another key practice, the body scan.

For this exercise, turn your attention toward the sensations in your body. Start by focusing on your feet, and slowly move your attention up your body, finishing with the crown of your head. Is any part of you aching, tingling, or feeling hot or cold? By noticing these physical sensations, you’ll also become aware of any emotions you’re experiencing. For example, if your stomach is clenched, it most likely means you are experiencing fear or worry. As you learn to accurately identify your emotions, you can use them as a source of valuable information. How? Well, when you gain insight into your emotions, you can use this greater awareness to make more meaningful choices—choices that bring you closer to the life you actually want to live and the person you want to be.

Our next practice is loving-kindness meditation. For this exercise, focus on someone you know and hold them in your mind. Imagine this person wishing you well. Next, imagine yourself reciprocating their warm, loving wishes. Silently wish them happiness, peace, and love. Finish the exercise by wishing these good things for yourself, too. Research has shown that loving-kindness meditation increases our compassion for both others and ourselves.

Our final practice is called STOP, and it’s especially helpful in stressful situations. As you might have guessed, this is an acronym. The S stands for Stop, because the first step in any challenging situation should be to simply pause and recognize that your emotions need some space. The T is for Take a breath, as this will help you calm down and call your attention back to the present moment. The O stands for Observe your direct experience. Take a few seconds to investigate how you’re feeling by noticing your bodily sensations, your emotions, and your thoughts. Last but not least, P stands for Proceed with kindness. In the midst of this tough moment, think about how you can nurture yourself. This could be as simple as reaching out to a friend or just going for a walk.