can't stop thinking about breathing

[Ohme1977]

Hi there! Just wondring if you're still having this problem or you overcome it? Im having the same problem for about 3 nights now and i been losing sleep due to constantly focusing on my breathing. I was feeling hopeless everytime it happens to me. I never had to focus on my breathing before but since i recently have a severe panic attack for about 3 weeks now ive been focusing on my breathing especially at night before bed and its really taking a toll on me. During the day i could fight or divert my mind somewhre else and it works but when its bed time im having a hardtime distracting myself eventhough my anxiety meds makes me relax and sleepy. I dont even remember being anxious but when i start focusing on my breathing i would start to breathe shallow which causes me to have some shortness of breath and then i'd get tense and panicky. I hope this is just a phase im going through and itll pass eventually. Or i am just anxious and my panick attack is fairly new? I tried distracting myself too by listening to music with my earphones but i still somehow find myself focusing on it still. It's good to know though that i am not the only one experiencing it. Please advise on how you guys cope on this. Thanks

[hp1990]

//LONG POST AHEAD but i hope it will help others to cope up with this,WE ARE NOT ALONE WITH THIS MADNESS IN OUR HEADS

I too have this breathing focus problem and the description provided in many of these posts fits my condition very well.

I have a history of these crazy thoughts coming up and leading to panic attacks.I dont wanna mention them , its contagious but controllable unlike our breathing which needs to go on.

Probably the reason why we start picking up on these crazy ideas may be due to stress, empty mind.In my case i am a total introvert and i feel i have no purpose in life.All these thoughts get accumulated in my head since i have nothing else to worry about.

This is a very peculiar kind of a feeling.I have always kept this to myself for i have been scared others might start feeling the same way about it like me, or on the contrary others may think iam crazy.And my worst fear was myself being institutionalized in a mental asylum for this madness where iam put into a room covered with soft cushions and my hands tied behind and i cant even commit suicide to get rid of it.

I have felt that the basic reason we get scared and start panicking is that this irritation, or bothersome problem may never go away and stick with us for the rest of life.

A couple of days ago i got so focused on my breathing that i started feeling short of breath followed by a slight pain in the chest and coudn't even concentrate on my work.I immediate went over at my colleague's desk to have a chat and get my mind distracted.Well its tends to work at times but is difficult! Once my anxiety attack calmed i felt good again for the rest of the day.

May be we can never make ourselves forget this problem unless someone invents a method to make your brain forget certain parts of the memory.But knowing that you aren't alone and that there are many others facing the same problem and its completely natural will help you to understand and relax your mind.

This thought certainly helped me have a positive attitude towards this problem.If if you have read this post completely, you may have noticed that you did not focus on your breathing for that time and acted normal.See there you are , its all good!!

[Ajit singh]

I was having the same problem the best thing you can do is to start do meditation and close your eyes concentrate on breathing rate go deep this will calm down your mind and slowly slowly you will stop thinking of breathing ..be determined till you not forget it I took 3 months to forget it was really frustrated but I do meditation daily in evening and morning and I finally come out of it...

[Jollyjamison]

The problem with me atleast is I have to convince myself that I’m not really manually breathing, rather just observing myself breathing. When I think I’m “manually breathing” I get anxiety. You don’t actually manually breathe, it just feels like you are. So people that say they are “manually breathing” are wrong, and just making the problem worse by saying that.

[aadilsocd]

If you’re having a lot of anxiety and can’t stop thinking about a bodily sensation like blinking, breathing or swallowing, then you probably have what’s called sensorimotor OCD.


I’m fortunate to be someone who successfully recovered from sensorimotor OCD. As theres still a lack of information on how to treat it as well as a lack of access to a suitable therapist for many, I've written a brief guide on overcoming sensorimotor OCD at https://sensorimotorocd.net/. It's based primarily on CBT and ERP. I hope it is useful to people who are struggling with this, though of course does not replace a qualified therapist who can address the issue.