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Thread: Constant Awareness of Breathing

  1. #11
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Posts
    83

    Re: Constant Awareness of Breathing

    Hi,
    I have had this exact same symptom and very distressing. I found nothing I could do but just let it happen and try to distract self. I only had episodes of it however and don't always feel like this so try to remember it will be over at some point - you will have been through a whole day without it and suddenly remember and that will give you hope. It is not your fault - just another symptom of anxiety that, as the illness is treated/takes its course will gradually lessen.

  2. #12

    Re: Constant Awareness of Breathing

    I gained control over this affliction by saying to myself "it will never happen again." I repeat that whenever i feel the awareness coming on. So far I have never had a bad episode since i began saying this. One thing you don't want to do is get any deeper into thinking about your awareness of breathing. It's good to just repeat the simple statement "it will never happen again." I can't stress enough the value of not thinking any deeper. Say this "I won't think any deeper." I haven't gotten rid of the awareness of breathing but i feel i have it under control. You can get control too.

    I will never have another scary episode. I have the power to change my thoughts. I'm not worried about the continuation of this attribute of myself. I will be free of this.
    Last edited by brackenbeard; 23-03-11 at 09:50.

  3. #13
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Posts
    285

    Re: Constant Awareness of Breathing

    I would love to see a breathing therapist but how would i go about arranging this? through my gp or is is a private thing? x

  4. #14

    Re: Constant Awareness of Breathing

    Hi,
    I'm new here but have exactly the same problem as you so thought I'd send a quick reply.
    The awareness of breathing is just another side affect of long term anxiety. There are lots of other bodily functions people become obsessed with then suffering anxiety. A lot of people check their heart/pulse for example.
    I've been suffering with the same as you for a long time but finally trying to get over it now. It isn't the breathing that you should be trying to stop, it is the underlying anxiety. There are lots of posts from people and books available etc. I've started a course on getting over anxiety and it seems pretty good so far.
    Remember, you can't just stop breathing, your body won't let you. Try and start getting over your anxiety and this will slowly go away. It's scary to start with but worth it.
    Good luck!

  5. #15

    Re: Constant Awareness of Breathing

    I LOVE this post!! it is sooo comforting to read about people who feel exactly like i do. Im aware of my breathing way too much and this makes me panic and my chest becomes tight. The trick is to distract yourself, it really does work! I also yawn when i feel like i cant breath... because obviously you feel like you are breathing deeply when you yawn.

  6. #16
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Posts
    873

    Re: Constant Awareness of Breathing

    Clare

    This is a great thing. conversely you will not be listening to your breathing you will be listening to the chatter in your mind that you can sense your breathing.

    Buddhist meditation is centred around truly feeling your breaths. Your problem is you are not listening to your breathing your are having a full on war in your head that you can sense it.

    Learn to focus on your breathing, slow it down, count with it but don't fight it. We all have a monologue in our minds and even though you think all you can sense is your breathing conversely its not the breathing its the monologue that's the problem.


    Hope that makes sense.

    Heres a link to an interesting reference

    http://www.how-to-meditate.org/breat...ditations.htm/
    __________________
    Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.

  7. #17
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Posts
    595

    Re: Constant Awareness of Breathing

    awesome post glad i seen this xx going to try some techniques esspecially by breaconbveard x

  8. #18
    Join Date
    Apr 2011
    Posts
    195

    Re: Constant Awareness of Breathing

    Quote Originally Posted by twistedwhisperd View Post
    I LOVE this post!! it is sooo comforting to read about people who feel exactly like i do. Im aware of my breathing way too much and this makes me panic and my chest becomes tight. The trick is to distract yourself, it really does work! I also yawn when i feel like i cant breath... because obviously you feel like you are breathing deeply when you yawn.
    This happens to me too I always worry that other people can hear me breathing, particulary if I have my head phones on, on a bus or when i'm walking down the street, I get a tight chest and when I walk past people I try to hold my breath and get past quickly so they don't hear.
    I agree with the distaction techniques I try to focus on something like counting cars or my footsteps, sometimes this helps.

    It really is a comfort to read all these posts, I don't feel comfortable telling anyone I know about this.

  9. #19
    Join Date
    Apr 2011
    Posts
    4

    Re: Constant Awareness of Breathing

    I for some reason developed this habit of focusing on my breathing. It does not feel like hyperventilation. I just focus on it. I can forget about it. but for some odd reason i have triggers such as the wind. when the wind hits me i focus on my breathing agian. I feel really alone and frusterated if anyone has any ideas please let me know.

  10. #20

    Re: Constant Awareness of Breathing

    I find this series of posts fascinating. After reading the book inner game of tennis by timothy gallwey ~ 15 + years ago, I expanded on his suggested practice of intentionally bringing one's attention to focus on their natural breathing - between points in a game of tennis, to keep them in the present moment and minimalize a wandering thinking mind that could say follow a progressively destructive path like - I screwed up that last shot, i'm doing horrible today, i suck in general, etc. I understood his thesis that in sports performance, our own thinking mind can interfere with our performance - something about a cluttered / thinking mind interferes with performance, when people are "hot" or "in the zone" in the flow, etc, they are not thinking... The question I understood him to pose was how to maximize those peak performances... and minimalize our own destructive mental interference . I recall an exercise was to try not to think for thirty seconds. I recall the exercise being difficult at the time. I recall him saying he did not know how to have his ideal "empty" mind but instead would give the thinking mind a distraction to occupy it to prevent it from thinking. Between points he suggested intentionally focusing the mind on breathing, during points - intentionally focusing attention on the ball, the path, spin, etc to the exclusion of some mundane mental command like "lift the racket higher, follow through, etc" that would most likely result in a futile result, trying to consciously control one or a few muscles during a swing that in reality uses fluid coordination of perhaps hundreds of muscles. Anyways, after having success applying these exercises to playing beach volleyball(not too different to tennis) and experiencing having a much more rewarding time at the game - I ended up gradually applying the focusing the awareness on the breath intentionally outside of the sport to life in general. In retrospect, I was suffering from anxiety and depression but the practice of regularly stopping my over thinking mind by focusing on my natural breathing regularly I believe greatly treated my depression and anxiety to this day, ~ 15 years later....

    I apologize if the above rambling text is unclear.. it saddens me to hear people post about the awareness of breathing as a curse to them, when it is the only blessing i have found in my life to give me peace of mind... just wanted to share thoughts/experiences with those that posted about their awareness of their breathing being an annoyance to them.

    I wish you all mental health. I feel intentionally bringing my awareness to my natural breathing is the only thing that brings me mental peace.

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