Breathing anxiety

[niconick100]

Hello,
For years I have dealt with anxiety related to symptoms and diseases. I recently experienced one of my hardest crises in which I felt short of breath. After several examinations, doctors concluded that this wasn't due to any physical issues (e.g. cardiac, respiratory, etc.). Knowing that my symptoms weren't physical was soothing at the beginning, but realizing that it was a mental issue generated more angst. Since a couple of weeks ago, I've been feeling like a need to be fully aware of my breathing rate, feeling like if it was a voluntary act of my body. I feel like if I stop being aware of it, my body will stop breathing on its own.
Having that constant feeling has seriously affected my lifestyle since I can't get rid of it, and I carry it everywhere I go. I've been taking Xanax, which helps me sleep at night. But apart from that, I don't see any improvement whatsoever, and I'm not getting any better. I'm really desperate, the angst just never goes away. Has anyone experienced anything similar? Does anyone have any tips or tools that can help me overcome this?

[meant2live]

Yes, I have this every once in a while. The only advice I can give is to distract yourself. Do you exercise? That may be a good way to work on it as you have to control your breathing. Maybe, by doing that, you’ll see that your breathing is just fine.

[neileo]

I had something like this too for several weeks after I was diagnosed with severe anxiety. It actually started before I became ill. My brain would sometimes wonder on sleepless nights how its possible to overcome an itch or wonder how we manage to breathe without thinking about it. I mean, everyone has had itches that lasted for several minutes and same with breathing awareness. Once you're thinking about it, its hard to think of anything else. But these feelings amplified 1000x fold after becoming ill and breathing was all I could think about for weeks.

The good news is that you aren't physically ill. Your body will respirate whether or not you think about it. There is zero physical danger. For me, the key to overcoming these thoughts, or any other intrusive thoughts, is to stay busy and stay positive. If you have any hobbies or things you can do to take your mind of of it - they will be important, even if they bring little joy during tough times. As a consequence of this illness, I resurrected a hobby from my youth that has brought me a lot of joy..and sometimes frustration, of course. But frustration is a welcome emotion when you've been dealing with much worse.

Two years on, I find myself thinking about those days sometimes. Looking back, I feel like I was stuck in a rut. Medication and therapy has helped immensely, but the key to my recovery was a positive attitude that this, sooner or later, will pass and things will get back to normal.

It may feel far away, but trust me...it isn't. Those fleeting feelings of hopefulness will get stronger and stronger, and will overtake the negative thoughts and you will be well again. It's a journey.