Breathing anxiety when travelling on buses

[Catman55]

Hi all, hope you’re having a restful bank holiday.

I have Emphysema and I just wanted to ask members if anyone suddenly starts to have difficulty breathing when getting on public transport especially when the bus is quite full.

I’ve never experienced this until around a month ago when one afternoon I was Ona bus and I started to get very anxious when more people got on the bus and my breathing was all over the place and I had to get off.

Recently when I see the bus coming I want to get on I start to panic and can’t regulate my breathing and I’ve let the bus go and waited for another one - one morning I did get on a semi packed bus just to test myself and I almost wanted to shout at the driver to let me off bus fortunately I managed to hold on until the next stop and got off- it was very scary and now I get really anxious getting on a bus if other people are on it.

Thanks for any tips on how to combat this or your story of this happening to you ?

I may need counselling for this my GP reckons ( I’m already on anxiety meds from a couple years ago)

Catman 🫶

[Issy22]

Hi Catman55

I had a similar experience years ago, but with underground trains. It was during covid times, and I got so anxious at the train station, I would have a panic attack. It got so bad one day somebody called an ambulance they thought I was having a heart attack. It was very scary.

In the end I had to get to work somehow , so my husband would drive me 15 miles to work and pick me up. Thankfully he was furloughed at the time due to covid.

I can travel on the tube now I had some counselling, and I found listening to music on headphones really helps, Try not to panic it will make your breathing worse.

At the bus stop try the 3-3-3 anxiety rule. 3 things you can see, 3 things you can smell , 3 things you can hear , and focus on your breathing. Hopefully it will become easier. All the best.

Issy x.

[Catman55 in reply to Issy22]

Hey Issy

Thank you for the advice I will certainly give it a go

Glad to read you managed to overcome the tube travel, sounds very traumatic what you went through but well done for going back on the tube 👍 - I don’t use the tube now for the same reason, the last time I used it I almost was on the verge of asking for someone to help me out of the station as I couldn’t breath properly but managed to get to the escalators and out of the barriers , once I saw daylight I managed to calm down but yes very scary

Cheers Issy I’ll give the 3-3-3 rule a go and see how it goes

Thanks 🫶

[Ern007 in reply to Catman55]

To this day I can't travel on buses, I have a car so don't need to, I could not anyway with the walking.

I remember is a coach going to a football match in a coach , the feeling in my stomach, I knew I was going to have a panic attack.

I used a bus is Spain to go to Malaga from Benalmadena and was fine. Again the year after I went to Lisbon on a coach, was fine but I would not have wanted to use a bus here, Strange how the mind plays tricks.

Issy's 3 3 3 sounds like a plan, nothing to lose with trying it.

[Catman55 in reply to Ern007]

Hi Ern

That is very interesting regarding the different countries, thanks for that, yes I’ll try Issys suggestion , cheers 👍

[Ern007 in reply to Catman55]

You are welcome, hope it works.

[Catman55 in reply to Ern007]

Thanks Ern.

[Patk1]

Everu minds matter offer counselling and cbt,via nhs.you can self refer + u can get details online.To reduce anxiety on bus,prepare before hand,taking measures to protect yrself frm bugs/viruses egmask,viral block nasal spray & throat spray eg vicksrescue + coldzyme throat spray.carry handgel too

[Catman55 in reply to Patk1]

Hey Pat

Thank you for the counselling link, I’ll certainly look into it, that’s great 👍.

Yes I have a mask and everything, it’s just started happening a few times so once I know how to prepare and speak it out with someone it will get easier I’m sure,

Nice one Pat 🫶

[Germantara]

Yes I get like this aswell there doesn't have to be many on the bus and my breathing acts up I try to calm myself but now try to avoid busses

[Catman55 in reply to Germantara]

Hi Germantara.

It’s crazy huh how it affects us like that, but as summer is coming I won’t be using them due to how hot they get inside..thanks for posting 👍

[Patk1 in reply to Germantara]

Read up on aluk website - controlled pursed lips breathing.its great at calming breathing + putting u in control

[Catman55 in reply to Patk1]

Cheers Pat I’ll have a look , Yeah I do the pursed lips breathing and that but it’s still tricky riding the bus amongst other people on there but I’m hoping I’ll get through it eventually

Cheers Pat..

[Biker88]

if you haven’t already tried learn the correct breathing technique of diaphragm breathing with the out breath twice as long as the in breath, if you get a stressful situation then focus on your breathing technique. I find this helps me and enables me to control my breathing and stop it going into panic mode

[Catman55 in reply to Biker88]

Thanks Biker

Yeah I do that also, it’s like I work myself up to much that by the time the bus comes it takes ages to get myself together and calm myself down that i have to get off otherwise I feel like I’m gonna collapse so I think this may take a while before I can get use to jumping on the bus again but thank you for the checking in and I’ll keep plugging away

Thanks Biker..

[Donniebrasco]

Yes, i used to get this all the time ,i have had to get off the bus before my stop.Now i always have a inhaler and spacer on me and on small Diazepam dose.

For a while i was unable to go to the dentist, Barbers ,anywhere i was 'stuck'.x

[Catman55]

Hi Donnie

Yeah I’d get off the next stop as soon as I got on and take a slow walk home instead but I had to keep stopping as got so tiring so either way it drives me mad - Id have my inhaler with me and I’d just put the mouthpiece in my mouth without taking a puff and breath through the mouthpiece just as a way of my breathing down .

I’ll keep plugging away and I’m sure I’ll settle down soon and it’ll subside - my GP won’t prescribe me Valium lol

Thanks for posting Donnie 👍

[knitter]

I googled oxygen and carbon dioxide levels on public transport ….as I think some people are sensitive to changing levels .

I think the atmosphere in some buildings affects some people .

[Catman55 in reply to knitter]

Hi Knitter

Yeah you’re right about the changing levels - the humidity is higher and kinda stuffy breathing in warm air is horrible plus peoples body heat makes it less manageable to breath I think - them new buses they’ve got in London since around 2015 with the tiny windows are terrible to travel in the spring / summer and yeah people can get very sensitive TP the warm/hot air that flows through the bus.

Cheers Knitter..

[soulboy118]

Counselling is,a goid way to understand not only what's happening to yiu but yiur illness, talk is,always,good if its constructive, there's no stigma to getting help these days .goid luck

[Catman55 in reply to soulboy118]

Hi Soulboy

Thank you, yeah most definitely , I’ve filled out a self referral form yesterday to a NHS free counselling service that Pat suggested so I’m just waiting from them to respond to that, might be a while but least I’ve sent the referral in - it is indeed really good to talk , I love a chat I do 🙂.. but yeah to talk about everything that affecting me will be very helpful and see how it goes - thanks alot Soulboy I appreciate that 👍

[soulboy118 in reply to Catman55]

Good for you , let it all go m8 ,it's the only way to solve these problems

[Catman55 in reply to soulboy118]

Cheers Soulboy

[Kiki54]

Hi Catman , I was like you 32 years ago. I couldn't actually go on a bus on my own. So well done that you are at least doing that. I always would sit at the back of the Bus incase I had a panic attack I figured well at least no one will see me. My anxiety was so bad even seeing a bus would make my anxiety soar ! I even bought a car and took driving lessons just so I could avoid public transport.

Before I passed my test and had to use Buses, I discovered that chatting to people especially those with children took my mind off my anxiety. I also discovered that when I told complete strangers about my anxiety? How incredibly understanding they were !

Another thing that may help you is a neck fan. I use one when it's hot at night . It just drapes around your neck and kinda looks like earphones. I love mine.! The best £25 I've ever spent and it's charged by usb and lasts ages before if needs recharged.

I still remember taking my first bus journey alone, and I was so freaking proud of myself !

Always remember you can always post on here when you're travelling.There will be plenty who will message back n forth with you. Wishing you all the very best !

P.S Something I was taught in therapy was " It's impossible to have a bad feeling without a bad thought " Change the thoughts and you will change the feeling "

Kiki

[Catman55 in reply to Kiki54]

Hi Kiki

Thank you for that and will be very helpful I totally understand that bit when you said when you would see the bus your anxiety would soar, also that is very coincidental what you said about the fan, I was actually looking online yesterday for a handheld one and there are some that look quite good but I’ll definitely check out a neck fan now -

Yeah it would be good if I could drive as that would be ideal but I never took lessons, I wouldn’t take any lessons now as a car would be expensive for me to run and I live in Central London and it’s nuts with the traffic round here in the day time ( I don’t go out in the evenings neither)

I certainly will do Kiki and thanks also for the therapy quote , makes sense that 🙂

Nice one Kiki 🫶

[Kiki54]

Hi Catman, I would definitely go for thd neck fan. It means you can have your hands free.I bought mine on Amazon. It's bladeless , has different speeds and isn't noisy.Lovely cold air too 😊

Neck Fan.

[Catman55]

Hey Kiki…I’m much obliged for the link for the fan, it looks like a good one, I’ll check it out on there.. Nice one Kiki, 🙂