Automatic breathing.

[Dbsworrier]

Hello,

I haven't posted on here in years, but felt I needed to share/ get some reassurance and support from like minded people.

A little background: I've had anxiety issues for the last ten years or more, the symptoms have been strange and varied.

I've been pretty normal (as I can be) for a good few years now, but over the last few days have been experiencing something new and would just like to see if anyone else had similar issues and had suggestions on how to cope.

So basically I've been really struggling with thoughts about my breathing. It seems too automatic to me and I am over- analyzing every tiny detail of it. I try to work out which muscles I am using and how that links up to my brain. Then I find it weird that I can just think and I seem to automatically be able to stop and start my breathing without actually knowing how I did it.

Ergo it seems too automatic, and yes I know breathing is a naturally automatic thing, but my brain seems to get muddled between the conscious breathing and unconscious to the point where I question every little thing about it. It seems odd to me that I can just know to stop and start breathing or take big breaths, or shallow breaths etc, yet I dont actually know HOW I am doing it.

Anyway, don't know if this made any sense at all, but I'd appreciate any advice on how to think the right way about it/ similar stories.

Thanks for reading.

[Dbsworrier]

...

[Ditapage]

Hey,

This is like OCD- you're having obsessional thoughts about body functions that don't need your help to work. You just think they do and I can relate. When I start feeling like "I am not getting enough air!" I become convinced I have to manually breathe and it's a fast route to panic.

good news is you will eventually stop obsessing, the bad news is your anxiety and obsessional thinking will just latch onto a new sensation. I went from convincing myself I have to be conscious at all times of my breathing to my legs won't move by themselves which is my new all day torment. This is common with swallowing too. Anxiety can convince people they can't swallow because they're thinking too hard about it. Ugh. Fun times.

This is just all about our need to control everything and hyper awareness.

[Dbsworrier]

You were too right about it latching onto something else. I'm now hyper aware of my talking. Forming words and sentences seems to be too automatic now. Joy. :doh:

[montys]

Hey dude. Since you've dealt with anxiety in the past and were able to manage it for years, do you think maybe something has happened in your life recently? That is causing you to worry about small things and micromanage your bodily sensations?

For example, I had anxiety in the past, managed it for two years, and then saw it come back recently because of some health problems in my family.

Has everything been ok life wise? Any major sources of stress? Just throwing ideas out there.

[Dbsworrier]

Yes, I've not been in work for a couple of months, and up until recently had very strong anxiety about a health issue.

I've now got a combo of not being able to make sense of breathing and talking. Every time I say a word, I cant work out how it came out of my mouth. I feel I'm not conscious enough about shaping words. Having thoughts like 'how do I know to move my lips like that?' 'I don't remember learning this.' 'How am I making shapes with my mouth to form words?' Doesn't feel like my brain is actively telling my mouth to do these things.

Any advice on how to think about this more logically?

[Dbsworrier]

Update. As anticipated I now feel weird about talking, walking and all general movements. Great. Nothing seems to make sense. :weep: