Can't seem to breathe in for 4 seconds

[damianjmcgrath]

Hi everyone

I've got a few health anxiety problems but one area that I'd like to get a lot better in is my breathing. I've read a few breathing techniques that I think could really help but I'm finding them pretty difficult.

For example, one of them says breathe in for 4, hold, and out for 7. Another one is 7/11. My problem is that when I breathe in, I can only really do that for 2 seconds or so. It's like I hit the limit. I don't know if it's a muscle limit or a lung capacity limit. I try and breathe so my stomach rises, not my shoulders, as I was told that was a better technique.

I've got another slight problem when it comes to breathing out, in that when I deliberately slow it down, it sort of feels shaky. But maybe that's related to me breathing out more than I must have taken in.

Has anyone got any advice, or has anyone found the same thing? Is it a lung problem like asthma that I don't know I've got? I'm not fit so maybe my lung capacity is small. Anyone's thoughts would be appreciated!

Thanks

[tmckenzie-orr]

My therapist said breathe in for 4 seconds through nose hold for 2 seconds and breathe out for 6 seconds out through mouth

[damianjmcgrath]

Yeah that's the one. Whether I breathe super slowly or not, it really starts aching after 2 seconds or so. My friend can breathe in slowly for around 15 seconds. Why am I so ridiculously short?

[tmckenzie-orr]

Who cares ? Some people. Can breathe in for 3 seconds some can breathe in for 20 seconds your just worrying yourself for nothing obviously your main thing is normal breathing not deep breathing your fine or you wouldn't be writing this post, just relax

[white1989]

i was just having a look through your posts and this one caught my eye, rest assured, i felt like i had a really short breathing capacity similar to you and recently ive had hospital tests done on my lungs and she told me both my lungs were working to their full capacity and they were fine, so perhaps some of us just have different lung capacities. i imagine our anxiety contributes a little as well.