🌬️ The Power of Breathing: A Simple Way to Support Your Nervous System in Perimenopause

Have you ever noticed that when you’re stressed…

Your breaths become shorter?
You start breathing more shallowly?
Your shoulders creep up toward your ears?
Your jaw tightens?
You feel like you’re holding your breath without even realizing it?

If so, you are not imagining things.

When your body senses stress—whether that stress is physical, emotional, or perceived—it can activate the stress response. Your heart rate and breathing may increase, your muscles may tense, and your body begins preparing to respond to a threat. This is a normal protective process.

But here’s the thing…

Sometimes your body reacts to a stressful email, an uncomfortable conversation, a packed schedule, or the thought of everything you need to do next in the same way it might react to an actual emergency.

Your body doesn’t always distinguish between:

“I am in immediate danger.”

and

“I have 47 things on my to-do list and someone just asked me what’s for dinner.”

Enter: your breath.

You may be thinking, “Ummm… I breathe all the time.”

And yes. You do. 😂

But hear me out.

🌿 How You Breathe Sends Signals to Your Nervous System

Breathing happens automatically. Thankfully, we do not have to remember to breathe while answering emails, driving, sleeping, or trying to locate the phone that is currently in our hand.

But breathing is also something we can influence intentionally.

When you deliberately slow your breathing and make it gentler, you may help encourage your body’s relaxation response—the opposite side of the stress response.

The relaxation response is associated with a slower heart rate, lower blood pressure, and reduced levels of stress hormones.

This does not mean one deep breath will magically make every problem disappear.

Unfortunately, breathing cannot make your inbox empty, your family suddenly cooperate, or your hormones follow a predictable schedule. Wouldn’t that be nice? 😂

But breathing can give your nervous system a different message:

“We can slow down for a moment.”

“We do not have to react immediately.”

“We are not in danger.”

And sometimes, that little bit of space is exactly what we need.

💛 What Can Deep Breathing Do for Your Body?

Studies suggest that regular slow breathing may offer several helpful benefits.

1. It May Help Reduce Stress

Slow, diaphragmatic breathing has been associated with modest reductions in stress and cortisol, one of the hormones involved in the body’s stress response.

This is especially interesting during perimenopause, when many women feel like their stress tolerance has changed.

You may find yourself thinking:

“Why is THIS bothering me so much? It never used to!”

Hormone changes, poor sleep, a full schedule, and ongoing stress can all influence how supported—or overwhelmed—you feel.

Breathing is one small tool that may help you create a little more room in the moment.

2. It May Support Heart Rate and Blood Pressure

Slow-paced breathing can influence the systems that help regulate heart rate and blood pressure.

Research reviews have found that slow breathing may produce short-term improvements in cardiovascular measures, including modest reductions in blood pressure and heart rate.

This does not mean breathing exercises replace medication or medical care for high blood pressure. Think of breathing as a possible supportive practice—not a substitute for treatment.

3. It May Support the “Rest and Digest” Response

Your nervous system has two general modes that are helpful to understand:

The sympathetic nervous system, which helps prepare your body for action
The parasympathetic nervous system, which supports rest, recovery, and digestion

Slow breathing may help shift your body toward a calmer state and may influence vagal activity. The vagus nerve is involved in regulating many automatic body functions, including heart rate and digestion.

That is one reason breathing may be helpful when you feel tense, rushed, or overstimulated.

4. It May Help You Feel More Focused

When your mind is racing, it can be difficult to focus on the task in front of you.

A few moments of intentional breathing may help interrupt the cycle of reacting, worrying, planning, and overthinking.

It creates a pause between:

“Everything is too much!”

and

“What is the next thing I need to do?”

Breathing is not a cure for brain fog or concentration difficulties, but it can be one simple way to help settle your attention before moving forward.

5. It May Support Mood and Emotional Regulation

When we are stressed, we often react more quickly.

We snap. We shut down. We overthink. We assume the worst. We send the text…and immediately wish we had waited five minutes. 🙃

A breathing pause may help create a little distance between the feeling and the response.

You may still be frustrated. You may still need to have the conversation. But you may feel more able to choose how you respond.

🌸 Try It Out: Diaphragmatic or Deep Belly Breathing

There are many different breathing techniques, but today we are going to keep it simple.

Let’s try diaphragmatic breathing, sometimes called belly breathing.

Your diaphragm is a large muscle located beneath your lungs. When you inhale, it contracts and moves downward, allowing your lungs to expand. When you exhale, it relaxes and moves upward.

The goal is not to take the biggest breath possible.

The goal is to breathe gently, slowly, and comfortably.

Step 1: Find a Comfortable Position

You can sit in a chair, stand, or lie down.

Let your shoulders soften.

Unclench your jaw if you notice it is tight.

Allow your hands to rest wherever they feel comfortable.

Step 2: Place Your Hands

Place one hand on your upper chest and the other on your belly.

This is simply to help you notice where your breath is moving.

Step 3: Breathe In Gently

Inhale through your nose if that feels comfortable.

Allow your belly and lower ribs to expand naturally.

Your upper chest may move a little, too. That is okay.

You do not need to force your belly outward or take an enormous breath.

Step 4: Exhale Slowly

Breathe out gently through your nose or mouth.

Allow your belly to soften.

Try making your exhale just a little longer than your inhale, if that feels comfortable.

For example:

Inhale gently for 3–4 counts
Exhale slowly for 4–6 counts

There is no need to hold your breath.

Step 5: Repeat

Try this for 5–10 comfortable rounds.

As you breathe, notice:

Are your shoulders relaxing?
Is your jaw softer?
Does your body feel a little less rushed?
Is your mind still busy?
Can you allow that without judging yourself?

You do not have to feel dramatically different.

Sometimes the practice is simply noticing:

“I gave myself a moment.”

🔁 Don’t Wait Until You’re at Your Breaking Point

One of the biggest mistakes we can make with stress-management tools is waiting until we are completely overwhelmed to try them.

We wait until:

We are already furious
We are crying in the bathroom
We are lying awake at 3:00 AM
We are snapping at someone we love
We feel like we cannot take one more thing

Then we think:

“Why isn’t this working immediately?”

The truth is that breathing is a practice.

It is something we can become familiar with during ordinary moments so it is easier to remember during stressful ones.

Think of it like learning a new route. The more often you travel it, the easier it becomes to find.

🌿 Let’s Habit Stack Our Breathing

Habit stacking means attaching a new habit to something you already do.

Try pairing a few breaths with:

Your morning coffee
Brushing your teeth
Getting into the car
Waiting for the computer to start
Before opening your email
Before answering a difficult text
While waiting for the microwave
Before eating a meal
When you turn off the lights at night
Sitting down on the couch after work

You could start with:

“After I make my coffee, I will take five gentle breaths.”

Or:

“Before I respond to a stressful message, I will relax my shoulders and take one slow breath.”

Or even:

“Every time I notice my shoulders up by my ears, I will pause and breathe.”

Start small.

One breath counts. Thirty seconds counts. A few quiet moments in the car count.

This is all or something, not all or nothing.

🌸 Want More Support for Your Nervous System?

If learning about your breath has you thinking, “Okay…maybe I need a few more tools in my toolbox,” that’s exactly why I created The Pause Party.

Inside the membership, you’ll find a Calming Your Nervous System Toolkit where I walk you through several different practices you can try, including multiple breathing methods.

Because one technique may feel wonderful for you one day…and another may feel more supportive on a different day. Your body’s needs can change, and having a variety of tools gives you options.

Inside The Pause Party, you’ll also find education, encouragement, community support, weekly Lunch & Learns, accountability, and practical resources to help you navigate perimenopause and beyond with more confidence and less overwhelm.

You do not have to figure everything out alone.

💛 Come pause with us inside The Pause Party.
The Pause Party