In Uncertain Times, This Is Where You Start — Part 2

Safe-guarding your nervous system is critical. How to breathe to calm your nervous system and stay steady under pressure.

What We’ll Cover Today:

• Recap of Part One

• Why Diaphragmatic Breathing Matters

• How to Practice Diaphragmatic Breathing

• The Practice

• Update

Friends,

A very warm welcome to everyone who has subscribed to YTSN this past week. I’m humbled to have you all here.

Given my partner's motorbike accident two weeks ago (and my strong sense of duty to share what I know about staying safe during protest) it's taken me a little longer to get back to you— my ‘older’ subscribers— on this than I had intended. I’m sorry! But I’ve restructured how I present this process to you so you can both stack, and practice breathing as you go. To catch up, I’ll deliver 2 posts a week in this series for the next couple of weeks. We’ll kick-off today by recapping on Part 1.

Before I do, though, I'd like to thank you for the prayers, positive intentions, and good wishes you've sent our way. E is now out of the major trauma unit, and back home. He is pretty immobile, with a cracked hip and 2 breaks in his pelvis that can’t be pinned, but his prognosis is good. We’re incredibly grateful. 🙏

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Recap of Part One

In my first post in this series, I wrote about what may be one of the greatest risks in a long-haul crisis. Not the obvious external threats like money or safety, but something quieter, and far more personal: the steady erosion of your ability to stay centred. That slow fraying of your nervous system under constant, low-grade stress—the kind that builds without ever really peaking, where the goalposts keep shifting, and every day eats away at your sense of safety and clarity. It affects how clearly you think, how well you sleep, and how much capacity you have to deal with what’s in front of you.

I walked through the early signs of nervous system strain, things many people are already feeling, whether they realise it or not—spinning thoughts, fractured sleep, a body that feels wired and exhausted at the same time, thinning tolerance, and that constant sense of being stretched too thin. It’s not just ‘being stressed’; it’s the toll of prolonged instability. If you can’t interrupt it, it will keep building, until you shut down or are overwhelmed.

And I said that learning to regulate your stress response is therefore not a luxury, but a survival skill. Especially now.

One of the things I highlighted—and it bears repeating—is that managing your nervous system in a prolonged crisis takes more than one tool. It’s not enough to have a single method that offers momentary relief.

I learned this the hard way during my time in Zimbabwe, living through similar challenges to those the US is facing now, and uncertainty that stretched for years. In that kind of environment, I quickly realised that I needed a process—a layered approach that didn’t just calm me down in the moment, but helped me stay steady and functional, day after day.

The tools I’m sharing with you now were developed from that experience, and they’re designed for exactly this time: where the pressure doesn’t let up, and you need something that actually holds.

We began with the first and fastest tool you have: your breath. Not breath control, just awareness. Because managing your breathing is key to managing your nervous system, calming the body's stress response. Indeed, it's the only aspect of your autonomic nervous system (so called because it happens automatically, without conscious effort) that you can shift at will. We began by learning to pay attention to the natural breath, because we can only change that which we notice needs changing. Today, we build on this.

(If this sounds like something you want to move forward with, but you didn't read my original post, I'd recommend you do so, and practice the exercise. It sets the foundation for what lies ahead.)

If you’re living through a time of prolonged uncertainty—and let’s be honest, it feels like we all are—then how you breathe matters more than ever. Not just for managing the odd moment of panic, but for your long-term ability to stay steady, grounded, and resilient.

In Zimbabwe, I learned a breathing technique that slows everything right down, deeply calming the mind and nervous system in moments. It is my absolute go-to breathing practice for stillness. I’ve rarely seen it publicised elsewhere, and I’m going to share it with you in this series, but first we have to build up to it. That starts with Diaphragmatic Breathing.

Let's get to it.

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Why Diaphragmatic Breathing Matters

When you’re under stress that keeps evolving, your nervous system doesn’t get the message that the danger has passed, but stays switched on, constantly scanning for threats. When that goes on for weeks, months, even years, your system becomes dysregulated, and you start to live in a chronic state of alert. You lose sleep. You get more reactive. Your digestion suffers. Your patience thins. Your decision-making falters. And all the while, your body is braced for something it can’t quite define.

Diaphragmatic breathing is one of the most direct ways to send your body a different signal—one it will actually listen to.

Your diaphragm is a dome-shaped muscle that sits right beneath your lungs, separating your chest cavity from your abdominal organs. Think of it like a soft, springy trampoline stretched across the base of your ribcage. When it works the way it’s meant to, it pulls downward as you inhale, creating space for your lungs to expand. As you exhale, it springs back up, helping to push the air out.

It’s supposed to be your primary breathing muscle. But for most people today—especially as we’re often stressed, seated, or pulling-in our ‘gut’—the diaphragm barely gets used. Instead, we breathe from the chest.

That means the muscles around your upper ribs, shoulders, and neck start doing the job instead. It’s less efficient, more tiring, and it sends the wrong signal to your nervous system, because chest breathing is what your body does when it’s in a state of stress. So without realising it, you’re constantly reinforcing the message: something’s wrong. Stay on high alert.

This is where diaphragmatic breathing is a game-changer. Because when you deliberately engage the diaphragm—when you breathe low and deep, so your belly rises, not your chest—you’re switching the signal, and activating the parasympathetic nervous system. You’re telling your body: you’re safe. You can calm down now.

And here’s the beautiful part: the nervous system listens. Not because you’ve rationalised your way out of fear (I've never known that to work), but because you’ve used your body’s own wiring to change the message it’s receiving.

You see, your diaphragm is connected to the vagus nerve—the longest cranial nerve in your body, which runs from your brainstem all the way down to your gut. This nerve is a key player in regulating your heart rate, your digestion, your mood, and your immune response. And when you activate it through slow, deep, rhythmic breathing, you begin to reverse the stress response—not just temporarily, but physiologically

That’s why learning how to use your diaphragm properly— through what’s often called diaphragmatic or belly breathing—is so powerful. It gives you a way to shift your internal state, no matter what’s happening outside you.

This is solid neuroscience: diaphragmatic breathing is one of the most accessible tools you have, which is why it’s the very next step in the process I’m teaching you.

Because when you’re trying to stay steady through a long, uncertain stretch—and especially when you’re facing heightened tension, fear, or pressure—you need a way to bring your system down from high alert. Not just once, but over and over again, gently and reliably, until your body starts to remember that it doesn’t need to live in a permanent state of alert.

That’s what diaphragmatic breathing trains your nervous system to do.

It’s not a silver bullet— it doesn’t mean you won’t feel anxious or stressed ever again. But it does mean you’ll have a powerful, built-in way to bring yourself back—again and again, as you need to—to a state where you can think clearly, rest deeply, and respond wisely. And in this series of posts, I'm going to teach you how to build on diaphragmatic breathing, to deepen and extend the results. Stay tuned.

For now, let's get into how to actually do it—step by step, in a way that’s accessible for each one of you, even if your breath feels locked, shallow, or stuck.

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How to Practise Diaphragmatic Breathing

So, let’s get practical. You’re going to learn how to activate your diaphragm, and teach your body how to breathe in a way that signals safety, steadiness, and calm.

If this is your first time doing diaphragmatic breathing, I'd recommend lying down. You can lie flat on a yoga mat or firm surface, with a cushion under your knees if that feels more comfortable. When you lie on your back, your body is naturally supported, so your chest, shoulders, and belly can soften and let go. You’re not using any postural muscles to keep yourself upright, which means your diaphragm can move more freely and naturally, without being restricted by unnecessary muscle tension. It creates the ideal conditions to feel how your breath is moving, and to start shifting it gently downward.

If lying down isn’t an option for you, you can practise sitting upright. Just choose a straight-backed chair with your feet flat on the floor, hips and knees at a right angle, and your spine tall but relaxed. Try not to lean against the back of the chair—give your diaphragm room to move.

Make sure there’s nothing tight around your waist. Belts, restrictive waistbands, even high-waisted trousers can all interfere with the natural expansion of your abdomen. And if you wear a bra, take a moment to unhook it while you practise, especially if it is underwired or has a snug band. You want to be able to fully engage the whole area around your lower ribs and upper belly, without resistance or compression.

Ready? Let’s go.

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The Practice

Place one hand on your upper chest, and the other gently on your belly—right over your navel. Close your eyes if that helps you tune in more fully. Start by just breathing normally, noticing which hand moves more as you inhale and exhale.

If the hand on your chest is doing most of the moving, and the one on your belly is barely shifting, that’s a sign you’re breathing up high, from your chest. That’s okay—it’s completely normal, especially under stress. But now we’re going to start shifting the movement downward.

Take a slow, gentle inhalation through your nose, and imagine drawing the breath all the way down into your belly. Let your abdomen rise—not just forward, but outwards to the sides as well. Think of your lower ribs widening like an umbrella opening. The hand on your belly should lift, and ideally, you’ll feel some lateral expansion too—your sides pressing outward ever so slightly. The hand on your chest should stay relatively still.

Then, exhale slowly through your nose, feeling your belly soften and fall. Don't push the air out—just let it release naturally. Allow the movement to be smooth, steady, and unforced.

Continue like this, breathing slowly and deeply, feeling the expansion not just in your belly, but around your whole lower torso. You want a sense of spaciousness there—not straining, just soft and full.

At first, this might feel strange. You might find your chest trying to take over again. That’s okay. Each time you notice that happening, just gently bring the breath back down. No force, no judgement—just curiosity and awareness.

Aim to practise for about five minutes at a time, at least once or twice a day. Once diaphragmatic breathing feels natural while lying down, start practising it in a seated position too, so it becomes something you can use anytime, anywhere. Given time, your body will relearn this as your default way of breathing, and when it does, you have a built-in tool for you to regulate your nervous system without even thinking about it.

One final tip: if you’re finding it hard to get the movement started, try this: place your hands on either side of your lower ribs. As you inhale, gently encourage the ribs to move outward beneath your palms. The sensation of your ribs widening sideways is the key to fully engaging your diaphragm.

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When your world is in upheaval, your breath is one of the few things still within your control. But only if you know—and practice— how to use it.

Diaphragmatic breathing is more than a relaxation technique—it’s a way to reset your nervous system. A way to train your body to come down from high alert, to return to a place of balance and rest, and to remind it that not every moment needs to be a crisis.

At first, it might feel unfamiliar or awkward— especially if you’ve spent years breathing from your chest— but that’s all the more reason to keep practising. You’re not just changing your breath, but effectively learning to rewire your baseline. That’s the kind of shift that holds, even when the world around you does not.

In my next post in the series— out later this week— we’ll begin to layer in another signal, one that speaks to your nervous system through a different channel entirely, with no effort required.

Meanwhile, start breathing low and steady. You’re learning a vital skill for your ongoing wellbeing and resilience.

—Lori

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Update

One month ago today, I published my first Substack article. I had brought no followers from another platform (I don’t actively use any) and had told none of my family and friends I was doing this, so I expected growth to be slow, and to have a lot of time to get my head around how Substack works. Not quite how it’s worked-out! So there’s been a slew of refinements to content and structure in response to your feedback from the New Subscriber’s survey.

You now have a choice of different publications based on the content type, and how often you’d like to hear from me:

🪨 Unbroken. My tried and trusted tools, tips and tactics for self-care, to help you become someone who will not fracture, no matter the pressure.

♟️The Strategy Room. Strategies to stay safe and strong in the face of democratic decline.

🧭 Subscriber’s Q&A. Addressing a subscriber’s most pressing concern, with insights, clarity and strategies you can use too. (Paid subscribers can share what’s on their mind by responding to the New Subscriber survey—your challenge could be next.)

📑The Roundup. A summary of the week's posts in one place, with links to timely or relevant pieces you may have missed, especially where they speak directly to what’s unfolding now. Published Saturday morning.

🗓️ Monthly Digest. A brief summary of all the month's posts, with links if you want to go deeper. For readers who prefer a monthly review.

🦅 Vantage Point. Analysis, insight, and practical guidance on key, high-impact topics— to help you spot the signs, connect the dots, and stay ahead of the curve. (Coming soon.)

You can opt in or out of each one by going to Settings → Subscriptions→ Your Time Starts Now. (Please note: you can’t do this in the app.)

And from 13th April, I’ll be reviewing the YTSN referral scheme. My partner’s accident has significantly impacted our household income, so I need to reassess what I’m able to offer freely. I hope you’ll understand this practical shift. (All referrals prior to this date will of course be honoured.)

Again, my thanks to each and every one of you— for your time and attention, your encouragement, and your understanding. It's helped me get through the past 2 weeks more than you’ll ever know.

—Lori 🙏

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