How is your Breathing????

One big contributor to my panic attacks was my breathing. Sounds kind of silly that that can cause a panic attack, but it is true.

Let's look at how we breathe. Do you take nice long deep breaths, or are they very shallow to get the job done. I find that the majority of the time mine are very shallow short breaths. Sometimes when I am nervous I tend to hold my breath. Sit for just one minute and breathe normally, close your eyes so you can focus on your breathing style.

Many days I would find that my breathing pattern would cause something to go awry in my body, an whoosh the panic would begin. It took me a few years to realize that this was one of my triggers. Along with the anxiety I developed chronic congestion, this caused me to breathe through my mouth and also caused me to alter my breathing.

So how did you do? Let's try a simple breathing exercise, doesn't take long. I use this during the day when I am feeling anxious. Close your eyes, deep breath in for 10 seconds, breathe out for 10 seconds. Repeat 10 times. This breath should fill your whole diaphragm.

This week try this when you are feeling stressed, anxious or panicked. Don't think about anything else for 1 minute. The road to recovery is all about changing your patterns.