Please help, I can't stop focusing on my breathing :(

[anxiousandafraid]

Hello, I am hoping for someone to help me with this terrfying problem I have only just started experiencing. About 5 years ago I had my first panic attach, I had no idea what was happening and as everyone can agree, it felt like I was dying. As soon as I found the reasoning behind this attack, I was able to recognise what was happening each time it happened, but it never made it any better or less scary, as each time I am unable to catch my breath. I have gone through a few terrible things in the past 5 years, I terrible break up, family arguments and fall outs, I was sacked from my job unfairly and that caused me a lot of stress as I couldn't afford to live.

The thing is now I am finally happy again and I have a new job, but the other day I was going out to do some errands and I noticed the bus was coming but I had to run to get it otherwise I would miss it, I exerted myself and felt like I couldn't catch my breath again whilst sat on the bus, it got that bad that I started having a massive panic attack, the most terrifying one I have had in a long long time, I was all alone and felt that if I died there and then there would be none of my family to help me.
My hands started to go numb and they went paralyzed so I couldn't use my phone to ring my family. I had to tell myself I would be ok to finally calm myself down again, it did work but ever since that day I have been concentrating on my breathing none stop to the point of panic and I worry I am going to die from lack of oxygen, I keep having to yawn or take a deep breath to feel relief again but it starts up again not even a minute later. It is worse at night as I have no distractions and I am just thinking thinking thinking about my breath and my lungs feel like they have a tightening clasp on them as I am doing that to myself, but I find that if I relax and forget about breathing, I don't get that tightening clasp feeling, it's almost as if my relaxed state 'releases' my lungs and sets them free.

I am so scared that this is how I am going to be for the rest of my life, I am only 27 and I have so much to be excited about but nothing is taking my mind off this problem, it gets so bad that I think to myself - ''I'd rather be dead than go through this'' and that's not good at all because I have so much to live for!! I worry that I wont get a good nights sleep ever again thanks to this, last night I tried listening to relaxing music to take my mind off it but I found that I still hadn't drifted off at 5 am, or at least I hadn't reached REM sleep but I did drift off eventually because I had a few dreams, but it just takes ages because I'm constantly focusing.

Sorry that this is long but can anybody give me advice on how to live a normal life again? I'm going to the doctors on Tuesday because I am also worried about asthma, but I know that I have suffered with anxiety all my life. Does anybody have any techniques that work or have a suggestion on how to get rid of that 'clasping' feeling even if I AM concentrating on breathing?

Advice much appreciated!!

[laura1200]

Hi! I know how you feel as my panic attacks make me think about my breathing at other times too. It gets distressing.

I find distracting myself helps, watching TV or listening to music helps me forget my breathing and I feel better.

I hope your appointment goes well.

[Hopeandlove]

Hi, are you on med? have u tried a specialist in anxiety? both will take these things/thoughts/worries away

[xBettyBoopx]

Hey

I don't know what the answer is, I am exactly the same as you, I think about my breathing day and night and wake up anxious and tense. I'm sick of it!

I try to take my mind off of it but most times it doesn't help. Not even meds is doing anything anymore. If you are not on any kind of medication I would suggest you go to your doc and see what they say about some sort of medication to help you sleep. Other than that I can't offer you anything in the way of advice, sorry.

[Soozarna]

Hi I suffered this after an horrific channel crossing on a ferry. When I returned to England I got breathless and spent the whole time overbreathing. I stopped walking fast anywhere, wouldnt go up stairs, used to constantly check I was ok, it was completely exhausting. Its a difficult one to manage because to a degree I still avoid stairs and NEVER run anywhere, but I do manage to live and relax without thinking about my breathing. When it first started I had hypnotism - it was great ! It showed me how to calm down my breathing - and you only need 2/3 sessions. Then a coping strategy - when I feel it coming on I breath in as deeply as I can then slowly let out dropping my shoulders as low as I can as I breathe out. THEN distract yourself. There must be something you can do which switches your brain to another channel just long enough for you to relax. Phone call ? Painting works for me, go into a shop, go for a drive. I have used all of these. I used to jump into my car and drive round the block. Put a recording on your phone of reassurance and play it when you need to. I made a recording of what I should do and played in when it started. Good luck I know its awful but you will recover. XXX

[Escargotage]

I sometimes tend to focus on my breathing as well, especially after coming out of a panic attack. What helps for me is talking to others or distracting myself with a TV show or playing a game to take my mind off of it. Reassuring yourself is also quite powerful if you can manage it. Telling yourself in between your breaths that you're alright and going to be fine can do wonders.

I wish you the best of luck, I know you can conquer this.

[Stu82]

I have had this on and off for last 8yrs and at one point didn't bother me for around 18mths. Seems to be a common symptom as read about it a lot on here.

Like been constantly tense and choked up inside.

As everyone says to me you cannot just stop breathing your body does it for you but I know when you've been so focused on it it's hard to distract yourself especially at night. Saying all that sometimes when I've had a few months focused on it and it's really annoying me I can literally wake up next day and feel fine even if I try to focus on it just doesn't bother me! Which tells me it's a symptom of anxiety. Constant worry about silly things which wouldn't normally bother you do.

Seems to me like however long you have been tense, stressed and upset inside for it takes the same length of time with things been calm around you to get that nice relaxed, non worrying mind back.

Keep working on relaxing, exercise, nice smelling candles/incense and distraction where you can. Works over time for me

---------- Post added at 21:27 ---------- Previous post was at 19:58 ----------

This might help too, taken from this site:

Breathing/Shortness of breath

The hyperventilation as above plus your bronchial tubes dilate thus requiring more air than usual to fill the lungs so feels that it's taking more effort to breathe - it is , you're taking in more air at each breath.
What you feel:

You feel that your breathing is forced and laboured. You become conscious of how you are breathing and you have a hard time catching your breath. It seems like you have to force yourself to breathe, in fear that if you don't, you'll stop breathing and die. Or, for no apparent reason, you feel out of breath and find yourself doing an unusual amount of yawning in an attempt to catch your breath.
What causes this:

When stress biology changes the body, it quickens the breathing and respiration so that the individual is ready for immediate action. Unfortunately, this also means that the breathing becomes shallow in nature (unless we are physically exerting the body such as running, fighting, swimming, etc.) which results in the body not getting enough oxygen. That's why we feel out of breath. This is a natural occurring biological outcome resulting from stress biology.
Sometimes this symptom will be persistent from day to day, and other times it may appear for awhile, then disappear. Both are common. Once the nervous system calms down, you breathing will return to normal.
Also, because breathing is an automatic bodily function, you'll never have to worry about not breathing. Your body does it automatically. It may be shallow, but you'll always get enough oxygen.
Regular exercise helps to maintain regular breathing patterns.
As with all symptoms, when the nervous system gets sufficient rest, this symptom will diminish and eventually subside.

[Catherine84]

Hi anxiousandafraid,

I have been suffering from the exact same problem - I am having a very bad bout of it at the moment. I actually joined this site to meet people who had been in the same boat. This was my original thread on it if you are interested:

http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=130622

People gave me some very helpful advice, and I think there are a couple of links in there as well.

Hang in there ,

Catherine x

[Stu82]

Hi again,

As I have the same problem it always interests me reading how others have the same issue. I had a look on the link that you put Catherine.

It seems one thing we always do is read into it too much (I do it) and all try to find a solution about how to stop focusing on our breathing and just let our bodies do it as they are made too, when the really issue is controlling the anxiety within us.

We all have anxiety, have had panic attacks or stressful periods that it seems to stem from. No one I know who doesn't have anxiety etc has this issue.

We all when first started with panic attacks and anxiety will have struggled deeply to cope then find over time things get easier and some better and quicker than others.

We go through different symptoms of anxiety but all of them similar and someone else will experience the same.

With each symptom we have the same thoughts of it'll never go, I can't cope with this everyday for the rest of my life, I'm going to go crazy which fuels it even more. All these racy, negative, panicky and adrenalin fuelled thoughts due to anxiety NOT directly the symptom. Even if you think your not feeling too bad it may still be inside you.

Things like exercise, relaxation, yoga, being heathy, seeing a therapist, CBT, breathing exercises and distraction over time will all help but not immediately, you've got to give them chance and keep at it. Yes I know can be difficult.

I know from when I was fine for about 18mths (and many other times) during my 7yrs of anxiety which originally stemmed from panic attacks after a big family issue that it was because my mind was getting stronger slowly even if I didn't think so. But then if I had a few issues in my life it would knock me back but I have to tell myself I'll get through it again and remember these times.

Every symptom we have and get focused on is tough but it won't cause any serious harm to us.

WE WILL GET THROUGH IT AND LEARN TO COPE

---------- Post added at 19:05 ---------- Previous post was at 18:38 ----------

Also I think breathing in general, constantly focusing on breathing is due to when we are feeling anxious, which even when we think we aren't we are our bodies prepare us, the fight or flight syndrome which would make us feel we need to think about/control our breathing because of how the flight or fight affects us.

If you are anxious most of the day, even 50% then that is what you need to address as that is what's causing the constant focus on breathing.

I'm not a physiologist but all adds up.

[princesspanic78]

Hi, I used to focus on my breathing all the time, the tenser you are the harder it is because your lungs and diaghram need to be able to expand easily but this is restricted if you are tensing your muscles. I tried many breathing exercises but just couldn't do them which convinced me that I had something wrong.

What really helped me was doing the corpse yoga position (badly named for HA sufferers), It makes you focus on body parts tensing them up then relaxing them, Look up 'Wikihow corpse pose.' Read all through it a few times so you can do it all in one go without having to keep read the instructions, notice how uncomfortable and hard to breathe or be relaxed it is when you are tensing and really focus on how good it feels everytime you relax a group of muscles, do it slowly somewhere comfortable, quiet and warm. This isn't a magic cure but it did help me to identify where I was holding tension and to relax it.

Hope this helps x