short of breath rearing its ugly head again!!

[eddy1608]

i hate this symptom it drives me round the bend and as you know with health anxiety and anxiety in general you always think these symptoms are life threatening. i wish i could just feel normal, anyone who has had this how have you found relief from it??
cheers guys

[anthrokid]

Ugh shortness of breath sucks. I found that I was actually a chronic hyperventilator (without even noticing!) and learned how to control my breathing better. I only found out I was ALWAYS hyperventilating when my doctor asked me to breathe in for 9 seconds and out for 11. I could only breathe in for maybe 3-4 and our for 5-6 (and that was me trying really hard!). My body had become so used to hyperventilating that my normal breathing had turned into hyperventilation. This is quite common in anxiety sufferers apparently. The best way to battle it is to practice doing some breathing exercises (you can find these everywhere online). Yoga and meditation are also fantastic! Not only to they help balance your breathing but they are also great relaxation techniques and in my experience they reallly help to control anxiety.

[Freaked]

Just sitting for a minute doing 4-8 breathing can be helpful. But the main thing is doing something pleasant and distracting. Breathing is not something that's meant to be focused on.