Hello Reader,
I hope you’ve had a great week!
Here is your weekly dose of Sunday sunshine. And a bunch of actionable tips, tools and information to help you become your own health boss.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. In a world that’s wired to overwhelm us, this week we’re exploring how to calm anxiety, reduce stress, and soothe panic without pills or prescriptions. Just your breath. Your body. And a few minutes of stillness.
Thank you so much for being here. 🙏 I hope you have a wonderful week and as always, from my heart to yours, much love.
Sandy xxx
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When Life Feels Like Too Much…
Let me paint a picture.
You wake up tired.
Not just "I didn't sleep well last night" tired, but a soul deep exhausted.
Some days there's texts from work. The kids are fighting over breakfast. You’re behind on bills, behind on emails, behind on life. And it's not even 8am.
And somehow, you’re expected to keep it all together. Just smile, perform and push on through the mental exhaustion.
Life isn't meant to be like this, and this style of modern life isn't what we humans were designed for.
At times, it's a never ending list of demands, deadlines, and distractions. False expectations to be more, achieve more, do more. But here’s the thing we may not like to admit...
We can't do it all. Because even when we're doing everything right and giving it our all, we still feel unsatisfied.
This month, more than ever, I’m thinking about the weight so many of us are carrying.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month.
A time to check in with our inner world - something that maybe, just maybe, should happen more than once a year.
So, what can we do when the overwhelm hits? When the anxiety won’t quit? When the world feels like too much?
For many, medication seems like the only option.
But while prescriptions can offer relief, they can also come with downsides. Sometimes we solve one problem - only to create a host of new ones.
There is however another way. One that’s available anytime, anywhere. Free of side effects, crashes, and numbness, it is...
Our breath.
This week, I’m sharing six breathing techniques that I believe every adult on the planet should know, and have in their self-care toolbox.
Because when used with intention, your breath becomes one of the most precious and powerful healing tools you have.
No cost. No pills. Just you, your body, and a little space to exhale.
The Cost Of The Pressure We’re Under
Stress is literally a killer. We weren’t built for the...
- constant pings
- raising kids while answering emails
- climbing the corporate ladder all whilst…
- trying to eat clean, stay fit, keep up with the news, remember passwords, pay the mortgage, catch up with friends, bake homemade cookies for the fete and pretend we’ve got it all under control.
It’s no wonder our nervous systems are fried. And that we’re feeling the effects.
Mental stress can show up in many ways. Poor sleep, brain fog, snapping at people you love, rising panic, a lack of enthusiasm and for many—a slow slide into burnout, disconnection, and depression.
Chronic stress isn’t just a feeling—it’s a physiological state that suppresses your immune system, accelerates aging, and increases your risk of an early death.
There are many studies that show people under prolonged stress experience dysregulation in immune function, inflammation, and hormonal responses that make them more susceptible to both acute and chronic illness including cardiovascular disease,premature aging and many other more serious illnesses.
And here’s the thing - it’s not just the stress itself, it’s also how we perceive and respond to it that matters.
So with so much to gain, and so little to lose - except for a few minutes of stillness and quiet, why wouldn’t you tap into breathwork and emotional regulation to release the pressure of the day… and protect your future health?
Breathwork Isn’t Just Woo-Woo
Before we get into our healing breathing techniques, let's get something straight. Breathwork isn’t about incense and mantras - unless that’s your vibe of course.
This is biology and science. And one of the most underestimated tools you have. Studies show that simple breathing exercises:
Think of your breath like a remote control for your nervous system. When you breathe fast and shallow, your body thinks you’re under threat. But when you slow it down… everything starts to shift.
Within 60 seconds, you can go from freaked out to a little more okay.
Why I’m Sharing This With You
I’ve shared before how my breathwork journey began, and how it was one of the first things that helped me during a really difficult time.
A few years down the track, I’m incredibly grateful I learned those lessons… even if I had to learn them the hard way.
When we remember to breathe with intention, we give our body a powerful signal:
You’re safe.
You can come out of survival mode.
You’re allowed to pause. To rest.
And that’s what I want for you this week.
Because no matter what’s going on in your life right now, you deserve to feel grounded, calm, and steady.
So, with no further ado, here are six beautiful ways to experience more peace in your body—even when the world feels like it’s spinning.
6 Breathing Techniques Everyone Should Know
Breathwork doesn't require you to have an app, a mat, a subscription or even a need to “do it perfectly.” You just need a few minutes and a willingness to try.
Here are six techniques I come back to again and again. Some are backed by decades of science. Others have stood the test of centuries. All of them work when you actually do them.
1. The Perfect Breath
This is the foundation of breathwork—a gentle rhythm of 5.5 seconds in, 5.5 seconds out. It’s not just calming, it promotes heart coherence—a beautiful state where your heart, brain, and nervous system come into sync. Great for emotional regulation, clarity, and restoring balance when life feels messy.
Use when: You’re frazzled, overstimulated, or emotionally scattered.
How to do it: Just breathe in for 5.5 seconds, and out for 5.5 seconds.
That’s about 5.5 breaths per minute, and it delivers roughly 5.5 litres of oxygen—a sweet spot for heart-brain coherence and emotional regulation.
🧠 Studies show this rhythm helps regulate blood pressure, heart rate variability, and mood.
PRO TIP: OK, I know I said you didn't need an app but one I do find handy for this technique in particular in order to get the timing right is the FREE Breathing Zone app to help guide your timing.
2. The Physiological Sigh
Your emergency brake for stress. Two quick inhales through the nose, followed by a long exhale through the mouth. It’s the fastest way to calm your nervous system—and it’s exactly how your body naturally sighs when it’s trying to reset.
Use when: You're panicked, spiralling, having an anxiety attached or on the verge of tears.
How to do it:
- Inhale deeply through your nose
- Take a quick second inhale
- Exhale slowly through the mouth
Repeat 1–3 times. That’s it.
🧪 Popularised by Dr. Andrew Huberman, it activates the parasympathetic nervous system, calms the amygdala, and rapidly lowers anxiety. You can check it out here.
3. Box Breathing (With a Twist)
Breathe in for 4, hold for 4, exhale for 4, hold for 4 or breathe in for 4, hold for 4, then exhale for 6, hold for 6. This extra-long exhale helps ground a racing mind and recalibrate your system. This breathwork is used by Navy SEALs and high performers to sharpen focus and settle the body under pressure.
Use when: Your thoughts are spiralling and your focus is shot.
How to do it: Try this version for a twist...
- Inhale for 4
- Hold for 4
- Exhale for 6
- Hold for 6
The original 4 x 4 breathing has been well used and respected for perhaps thousands of years. The longer exhale and pause adds a little twist and helps the body downshift.
4. Alternate Nostril Breathing
A centuries-old technique, this technique balances your left and right brain, lowers anxiety, and improves mental clarity. By alternating airflow through each nostril, this breath helps restore inner harmony—especially when you’re feeling mentally scattered.
Use when: You feel unbalanced or stuck in overthinking.
How to do it: Sitting somewhere comfortably,
- Close right nostril, inhale left
- Close left, exhale right
- Inhale right nostril
- Close right nostril, exhale left nostril
- Repeat for 1–2 minutes
Practiced regularly, this breath can lower blood pressure, reduce anxiety, and improve mental focus. Even the scientists found this to be so in the study, Immediate effect of alternate nostril breathing on blood pressure and heart rate in hypertensive patients.
5. 4-7-8 Breathing
Your go-to sleep signal. Inhale for 4, hold for 7, exhale for 8. This pattern slows the heart rate, soothes the nervous system, and helps you drift off—or fall back asleep—naturally.
Use when: You’re trying to fall asleep—or fall back asleep at 3AM.
- Inhale for 4
- Hold for 7
- Exhale for 8
According to Dr Andrew Weil, this pattern acts like a natural tranquiliser for the nervous system.
6. The Tissue Game (For Kids… and You)
We're not the only ones that can feel stressed, anxious or suffer from panic attacks. Being a child is difficult these days too! If your child is feeling overwhelmed, this is a great playful, visual tool which helps kids (and adults) regulate their breath without needing words. It’s a fun, powerful way to calm big feelings and a breathing technique and tool, all parents and family members should know.
How to do it:
- Tear up a tissue into little pieces.
- Place them on a table.
- Ask your child to gently blow them toward you—then blow them back.
This techniques requires the child to control their breathing and blow, hard enough so as to move the tissue pieces, but not too hard, so as to blow them off the table. Keep going for a minute or two or until the room softens and the storm passes.
This visual, calming and sneakily brilliant breathwork technique does wonders for nervous system regulation—especially for little people who can’t yet name their big feelings.
If You're New to Breathwork Start Here
If you’ve never done breathwork before, don’t worry - this isn’t about perfection. It’s about presence.
Start small. Choose just one technique that speaks to you.
Find a quiet spot, set a timer for two minutes and simply… breathe.
You don’t have to fix everything in those two minutes. You don’t need to have a breakthrough or feel anything profound.
Just begin and let your breath meet your body.
And if it brings even the tiniest sense of ease, come back to it tomorrow. And the next day. Because peace isn’t a one-off star performance - it’s a practice. And life-long friend if you want it to be.
I hope something in here has helped, depending on where you’re at today—and reminded you that even in the chaos, you always have your breath to come back to.
And if you’re going through something bigger than breathwork can hold, please know there is no shame in reaching out for professional support. You deserve care, healing, and people in your corner.
Feelings Come and Go...
Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor. - Thích Nhat Hạnh
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