Just a little tip for you - I recently had a massage therapist tell me that if you stick your tongue on the roof of your mouth and then breathe through your nose (mouth closed, of course), your body is forced to breathe from your stomach - it's sounds funny, but try it, it really works for me and helps alot!
Good luck to you with the therapist. I hope it helps. Most of the time, the breathing is mostly an annoyance. I have even earned a nickname from my boyfriend -- "scuba" -- because I wind up taking such deep breaths all the time. If I drink caffeine, oh man it gets even worse, so I avoid that completely now.
Of course, sometimes it gets so scary for me that it sends me into panic because my mind races off thinking something is really wrong with me and I'm gonna run out of air or die any minute. I'll rush to the ER...they'll check my O2 sat and it's always nearly 100%, even though I feel I can't breathe.
I hope someday I can shake this feeling completely...I hate to think my whole life will be this way.
Kim
Sounds like the story of my life lately! It's almost to the point where's its more annoying than scary. Past couple of days i've felt better but still struggle with my breathing. I'm going to be seeing a therapist soon...hope he/she gives me some hints on how to control this.
Many years ago I had this problem. I always felt short of breath. I saw a counselor who helped me a lot. She had me put one hand on my shoulder and one on my stomach. She told me to breath from my stomach so that hand moves but the hand on my shoulder did not move. The first couple of times I did it, I thought I did fine but she said my shoulder moved. About the 3rd or 4th time I did it right and I could tell. That first breath actually made me a little dizzy but after that I was able to breath much better without feeling dizzy.
Basically I was breathing wrong. By breathing from my stomach, instead of my chest, I was able to breath much better.
Hope that helps.
Yup....thats me. I always feel I am breathing to shallow which I think causes my dizziness all the time. I quite oten force myself to yawn, to try to get more air.
I hear yeah.
Carol
Just wondering how many others have as their major symptom for anxiety an almost constant feeling of not being able to breathe - like you can't get enough air, ever. Only time I feel like I get a good breath is when I yawn, so I wind up yawning all the time now. Also sometimes my heart beats faster than normal, even at night when I'm trying to sleep.
Does this sound like anyone else???
Kim
