Deep breathing/relaxation

Orchid,

I was never really into the breathing exercises either...I could never get through the whole round of them without a distraction, or I felt they just weren't effective...until I learned this one. For some reason, it gave me a feelig of being in control of my breathing for the first time since I my anxiety had started.

I'll post it here...I don't know if it will have the same effect for you, but it's worth a try.:)

Okay, my favorite is this one, it takes some practice though. When I first started, I could hardly do one!

The Divided Breath:

Imagine your lungs as having 3 parts. The bottome third, the middle, and top third. On the inhale fill the bottom third first, then the middle and finally the third. Make sure that this is one continuous breath, but divided, with a slight pause in between each third. Hold the breath in for 3-5 seconds if possible. Exhale in reverse. First blow out the top third, then the middle, and finally the bottom third of your lungs until all air is expelled. (remember the pauses) Repeat several rounds for a toatal of about 10 minutes. Practicing this every day will not only give you control and structure to your breathing, it will strengthen and loosen the thoractic muscles, allowing better, more productive breathing, and relieving the chest tightness!



Good luck, and remeber pracitce everyday whether your stressed or not, that way when anxiety really shows up you'll be ready:)

Scaredy Cat

Thanks for your feedback.

S.C., I will try that deep breathing and see how it goes. I guess I feel so lazy about it, because to me it feels like using the same effort as say working out or something-both of which are beneficial. But I need to try it. I've read that it might take a few weeks to notice a difference. I'm so not patient. It's like planting bulbs in the fall for the next spring. I hate doing that because I want instant gratification!

Research indicates now that sleep apnea may be part of the cause of anxiety. Tests for it are available and if one doesn't get enough REM sleep at night, (provided by continuous positive air pressure--CPAP)anxiety may be a result. It's REM sleep that "charges" one's battery for life's activities.

I've found the use of air supply at night astoundingly helpful in both anxiety and peace, as well as clarity of thought. It serves to relieve not only anxiety, but depression, high blood pressure, cardiac problems, etc. (I have no idea how it does those things, but it apparently has been proven to do so.)

It's worth checking into if you are an older person or if you consistently wake up not feeling fully rested or with headaches.

A lung specialist is the person to contact for testing (a pneumocologist).

It's Genetic

Post Edited (It's Genetic) : 2/27/2012 10:58:17 AM (GMT-7)

I have been practicing deep breathing for years now and I think it is helpful just practicing it every morning, after a warm shower and/or any time you feel your heart start racing for whatever particular reason that may have triggered the anxiety. I find it helpful at night when I'm about to go to sleep. It really does work. Working out is another one I use as a stress reliever and it helps BIG TIME. Personally when I'm having a panic attack, there is no amount of breathing that will help it, I kinda just remind myself that I'm gonna make it though it, breathe into a bag if I feel like I'm hyperventilating to make sure not to blow off too much CO2.

Because right now my anxiety is at an all time high, I keep doing the diaphragmatic breathing, but I couple it with my favorite soothing music. Music is incredibly therapeutic, for me it's the difference between my anxiety subsiding or becoming a full blown panic attack. I once tried biofeedback as a computer program at my psychiatrist's office, it works for some whose anxiety is not too intense, but for me it just frustrated me that I couldn't control my heart rate just by deep breathing.

Scaredy cat: great way to go about the deep breathing, I will definitely try to imagine it that way!