does this sound normal???

[puppyskin]

recently discovered ive been holding my breath without realising.also holding tightness in my upper body,it would explain a lot of the aches and pains,how can this happen without me knowing???

[ellie_C_mason1990]

i sometimes find that when i think about my breathing i realise i haven't been breathing.

but breathing is an unconsious activity. you are not conscious of your heart beating most of the time; same as your breathing. I would guess you are like me and just suddenly noticing your breathing then thinking you haven't been doing.

tight chest/upper body is very common in anxiety. so many physiological symptoms/sensations can occur when we put our concentration on them. i went to A&E about my tight upperbody, i was convinced i was having a heart attack, it was just anxiety.

hope that helps?

[puppyskin]

thanks for that,ive been in a state of high anxiety for so long ....do you think it can become instinct(subconcious) to hold your breath,shallow breath,tighten muscles etc....???

[mushroom]

Hi

My breathing is always all over the place, mainly I cant get my full breath properly...and when I do I am not satisfied, I just think about getting the next 'full breath' if that makes sense?

I do think that the more you concentrate on something, the worse the feelings/symptoms feel. I am yet to find a way to stop focusing on it all so much!

hope you feel better soon.

[ellie_C_mason1990]

Hi

My breathing is always all over the place, mainly I cant get my full breath properly...and when I do I am not satisfied, I just think about getting the next 'full breath' if that makes sense?
.

So true!


i dont think it is instinct to hold your breath. we are always breathing we just dont realise it.
we only notice short breaths when we try and take a deep breath and we cant. thinking about it now (i am trying to focus on breathing without getting worried!!) i think most breaths are these "short breaths", we only take deep ones when we exercise, try to calm down, or when we concentrate

[puppyskin]

i was just wondering if anxiety sufferers do this without even feeling anxious..ive been feeling ok,just these symptoms seem to be carrying on???

[ellie_C_mason1990]

in my case i would say yes. we have a bias to concentrate on such symptoms i guess..even if we are generally feeling ok