Breathing , anyone finding it hard to get a correct breathing pattern

[rhysco09]

Hi there my latest symptom after suffering with anxiety for 5 years is I am constantly over breathing although I keep feeling as if I'm not breathing enough . I even struggle to hold my breath for more than 10 seconds as my body feels asif it's gasping for air. I'm constantly light headed and I'm typing this at work at the moment and I totally feel at the end of my tolerance of this, these past few days I have feared that I am heading for a total break down! Anyone else experienced this with breathing and anyone any suggestion that could help?

[rhysco09]

That's exactly correct, if I keep busy I don't notice it so I know I'm creating it myself, and yes I take tablets for acid reflux every day.

[tintin5187]

Try this breathing technique.........................

When you breathe in close your mouth and make sure you fill your lungs with air, So much so that you push your tummy right out. Hold the breath in for 2 seconds then release the air very slowly through your mouth, make sure you empty all the air out of you lungs and keep repeating it. Short shallow chesty breathing increases anxiety levels as you are conserving oxygen. The trick is to release all the air you have breathed. I got taught this on a stress & mood management course couple years ago. I find it so helpfull. I stop 99%of my panic/anxiety attacks by breathing like this now! It does take practise. One way to tell if you are doing it right is put one hand on your stomach and one on you chest and if you feel your chest moving you are breathing incorrectly. Let me know how you get on and keep practising. I still practise now, 3 years down the line, I find in the car and lying in bed the best time as you can concentrate a bit more. At your desk at work is the perfect place.... remember noone can tell that your doing a breathing excersise. Good luck, hope it helps x x x

[swanlinnet]

Hello : )

This is anxiety ...I understand it from experience.

I struggle regularly to get a full compliment of air into my lungs. Even though I do keep fairly fit and train regularly its usually just a feature of anxiety.

[tintin5187 in reply to swanlinnet]

Hey

Have you ever tried the breathing technique I wrote up on here earlier?

x

[rhysco09]

Hi there I will try the exercises, I just feel if I really concentrate I can do them and my breathing returns to normal, but as soon as I get up to move on with my day it just reverts straight back to how it was, I've been suffering with this for 5 years now and I've bought the linden method and its had great reviews and the person who wrote it says that learning to breathe properly is the holy grail to getting better, I just feel that this is never going to get better and my breathing won't go back to normal. It's not even attacks that I have as such it's just constant daily problems

[tintin5187]

good luck.

[warkie]

Hi,

I had this this a few weeks ago and it was horrible,try and take your mind off it and it will go,if you think about it all the time it will be there,i was that worried about it i went to the docs and had an ecg and everything was fine xx

[Samantha_marie]

It's because your thinking and listening to your breathing , your body will naturally breath the correct amount for you , the more you try to correct it the faster you will breath . Unfortunately it's just another part of anxiety , but don't worry and try not to over think it your body will naturally do it for you . All the best xxxx