I was recently in a Zoom meeting with more than 40 professional women. Everyone had their cameras on. Faces were alert, posture upright. Then we moved into a new topic, “self-care,” and the energy shifted.
I noticed the confident, composed women who had just introduced themselves with clarity and poise begin to sink, ever so slightly, into their chairs.
And when we moved into breakout groups, the truth came out.
Some women shared their practices—yoga, walking, and small moments of quiet.
Others admitted, quietly and with a tinge of shame, that they weren’t doing any kind of self-care right now. Not consistently.
And my heart broke.
What I saw wasn’t failure. It was survival.
Now these women, carrying so much already, had a newly introduced metric to live up to, their own self-care.
I wanted to shout, “This is not your fault.”
We are in what feels like Class IV whitewater rapids—fast, unpredictable, and hard to navigate without being thrown overboard. And so many of us, women and men, are paddling as fast as we can.
In high-stress times, the body's chemistry takes over.
Your nervous system becomes your built-in SOS system, and its main job is to keep you safe. When you’re in that state, the ability to look at things from a broader perspective or problem-solve is diminished. And to try to envision a self-care makeover under those conditions is practically impossible. For anyone.
Your body’s chemistry and nervous system need balance. This is not the balance of work and life. This is the balance of homeostasis of your body’s system.
Because the body determines the state of the mind.
And the state of the mind shapes how you see the world, how you show up, and what you believe is possible.
This is where I step out and say what I haven’t said loudly enough before.
I believe the answer to so many of our struggles, for our bodies, our minds, and hearts, is Breathwork.
It’s real. It’s immediate. It doesn’t cost a thing.
And it helps regulate the nervous system faster than, well… anything.
It’s not magic. It’s science.
We need to normalize the pause.
To take a breath before diving into the work.
To say out loud: “Not everything is urgent.”
Our nervous systems deserve support, not shame.
I’m working on a Breathwork Manifesto, as a declaration of belief in the power of the breath, not just as a wellness technique, but as an essential, everyday tool for navigating this bumpy road of life. Why becasue i need the daily reminder. And maybe you do, too.
I’d love to create it together.
How has your breath supported you in chaos, in clarity, in daily life?
Drop your thoughts below, or send me a message.