By Jen Rose Smith, CNN Back when Travis M. Spencer's daughter was in fourth grade, there were times when she struggled to fall asleep. On those nights, Spencer used to take a few minutes for mindfulness. First, Spencer invited her to list a few things she was grateful for. That usually included friends or a favorite video game. "I'm like: 'I'm glad that you're noticing those things,'" said Spencer, a mindfulness educator and the executive director of the Institute of African American Mindfulness in Washington, D.C. "Let's hold onto that feeling and that goodness you're feeling right now. And maybe just take a breath or two as we're falling asleep."