Breathing

[Shelly15]

Does anyone else get so anxious that there lungs go so tight that you actually can't breath then your brain goes in to overdrive panic and you think your going to die and you feel faint and can't stand up and then you over heat and basically faint?

[Lukas]

This has happened to my partner before, I tend to call them "extreme panic attacks"
How long have you had them? and how often? x

[Shelly15]

That's what I call them aswell, I've only had this breathing issues for 5 months and it happens when I'm really anxious depends sometimes it will happen all day sometimes once a week, I can't even leave the house and heat sets it off aswell

[Panicer]

Hi Shelly

Yes I get this and if I don't snap out of it quickly I can really set myself off on an "extreme panic attack" as Lukas calls it. Someone did tell me about something to try which did work last time I had one. I've copied it below..

All mammals have something called the “mammalian diving reflex (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mammalian_diving_reflex)” that forces the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parasympathetic_nervous_system)) to kick in, which functions to relax us and calm us down.
This reflex is activated by icy cold water (i.e., not freezing) on the face. In particular, the icy cold water must hit the parts of the face just below the eyes and above the cheekbones for the dive reflex to be activated. The idea is when in an extremely heightened state of anxiety:


Fill a bowl with icy cold water
Bend/lean over
Hold your breath
Put face in icy cold water for 30 seconds
Make sure that area underneath eyes/above cheekbones (most sensitive part of the face) feels the icy water

This surprisingly simple technique can calm you down immediately.

[HarleyMarshall]

Hi Shelly do you Think of your breathing

[MyNameIsTerry]

Hi Shelly

Yes I get this and if I don't snap out of it quickly I can really set myself off on an "extreme panic attack" as Lukas calls it. Someone did tell me about something to try which did work last time I had one. I've copied it below..

All mammals have something called the “mammalian diving reflex (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mammalian_diving_reflex)” that forces the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parasympathetic_nervous_system)) to kick in, which functions to relax us and calm us down.
This reflex is activated by icy cold water (i.e., not freezing) on the face. In particular, the icy cold water must hit the parts of the face just below the eyes and above the cheekbones for the dive reflex to be activated. The idea is when in an extremely heightened state of anxiety:


Fill a bowl with icy cold water
Bend/lean over
Hold your breath
Put face in icy cold water for 30 seconds
Make sure that area underneath eyes/above cheekbones (most sensitive part of the face) feels the icy water

This surprisingly simple technique can calm you down immediately.

That tends to be called "the dive reflex" or "the divers reflex". So, Googling might turn more up under that. I've seen it in self help advice before and there is a thread on here with someone recommending it (the Top Tips board I think).