The Story Behind BREATHE
Most journals only ask for your thoughts. BREATHE is different. It was designed for busy midlife women who feel anxious, overwhelmed, and disconnected from their bodies. Instead of overcomplicating things, this journal keeps it simple: a few minutes a day to check in with your body, name your feelings, and reset your nervous system. BREATHE is where the mind and body meet on paper — helping you calm anxiety, find clarity, and create a more grounded life.
I didn’t create BREATHE because the world needed another pretty notebook sitting on a shelf. I created it because I was desperate for something that actually worked. I was doing everything — therapy, meditation, gratitude lists, yoga, setting intentions. You name it, I tried it. And still, there I was, wide awake at 3 a.m. with my heart pounding, chest tight, thoughts racing, and that heavy pit in my stomach that never seemed to leave.
Talking about my feelings helped, but it only got me so far. The real shift happened when I started paying attention to what my body was trying to tell me. That was the missing piece. My mind was spinning stories, but my body was quietly screaming the truth. And both needed to be heard.
What I mean by “somatic”
Somatic is just a fancy way of saying body-based. It’s about tuning into the signals your body sends long before your brain has written the script. Things like your breath, heart rate, muscle tension, temperature, or the lump in your throat you try to ignore.
Science backs this up. Our inner signals are tightly linked to mood and anxiety. The more we can notice and name what’s going on inside, the better we can regulate it. It’s not woo woo. It’s literally how your nervous system learns to feel safe again.
What women keep telling me
The women I made BREATHE for? They’re holding it all together on the outside while crumbling on the inside. They’re running households, managing jobs, juggling aging parents, riding hormonal shifts, keeping up with calendars, bills, and everybody else’s emotions.
And here’s the truth: they’re exhausted. Sleep is hit or miss. The fuse is short. Self-talk gets mean. Anxiety comes out of nowhere. And the body keeps whispering, “something isn’t right.” In midlife, those whispers often turn into shouts because hormones are crashing the party. Research even shows that stress and anxiety peak during perimenopause. So no, you’re not imagining it.
What makes BREATHE different
Most journals ask you to “think” on paper. BREATHE invites both your thoughts and your body signals into the conversation — because that’s how real change happens.
It’s quick. It’s simple. It’s not another thing on your to-do list. Here’s how it works:
-
Scan your body: notice where there’s tension, heat, flutter, tightness
- Name one emotion: just a single word is enough
- Write a trigger line: one honest sentence, not an essay
- Close with breath or mantra: short, doable, nothing fancy
This pulls from research on expressive writing (shown to ease distress and anxiety) and body-based practices that support nervous system regulation. The magic is pairing awareness with one small action. That’s why it sticks.
“But I already have a therapist”
Amazing. Therapy helps you understand patterns. BREATHE helps you catch them in the moment. When your jaw tightens at 2 p.m., you have a tool right then and there. Research is leaning toward this both/and approach — using talk and body awareness — because healing moves in both directions.
What changed for me
Once I started tracking sensations, I could catch my spirals sooner. I noticed the hummingbird heart before the full panic, the icy hands before I snapped, the lump in my throat before I said yes when I meant no. And because I noticed, I could pause, breathe, write a line, and choose differently.
AmI perfect? Hell no. But I have fewer 3 a.m. ‘wide awake’ nights, more calm during the day, and way less shame, because I finally had information instead of just drama.
Who I made this for
BREATHE is for busy midlife women who want less anxiety and more grounded energy. Women who don’t have an hour a day to sit and write essays in a journal. Women who need something beautiful, discreet, and sturdy enough to get tossed in a tote and still hold up. If that’s you, this journal was literally designed with you in mind.
Why BREATHE over the rest
- It’s somatic: not just your thoughts, but your body’s signals too
- It’s simple: three steps a page, no overwhelming layouts
- It’s discreet and premium: ocean-inspired cover, just the word “Breathe” in gold — private and beautiful
- It’s portable: you can actually use it anywhere, not just at home
- It’s eco-conscious: the cover is made with recycled plastic bottles pulled from the ocean
- It’s built by someone who needed it: me, with an overthinking brain and a body that kept the score
Try this right now
Set a two-minute timer. Notice three sensations — chest, throat, belly. Write one emotion. Write one trigger sentence. Take three slow breaths and repeat a mantra: “I am safe, I am here, I can choose.”
That’s the BREATHE vibe. Tiny, doable practices that add up.