Sounds to me like hyperventilating, my panic attacks usually involve this, and I can somehow control my breathing by making myself yawn. If I yawn often enough before the gasping starts it can some times stop the attacks

Hiya Sue. I am glad to hear that you are feeling better. As for the face breaking out that too shall pass! I know it is annoying, my skin reacts to my hormones and stress levels too. In my case I break out into eczema lol. Tell yourself it will pass and it will :) I empathize with you and really am truely glad the gasping is subsiding for you :) Take care :) -Diva

Sue, Continue to work through and challenge those thoughts. Perhaps use the Panic Diary to help pinpoint a trigger and do use those breathing techniques to help you with your breathing. Work with your doctor and therapist and continue on this positive path, you are not alone :) Josie ______________________________ The Panic Center Support Team.

Thank you, Diva. :) I seem to be doing a bit better today, at least where that symptom is concerned. My face is really breaking out now, though. But at least I can tell myself it's just a temporary hormonal thing and it'll pass in a few days.

Hiya Sue! I just want to say that I have had that feeling before. I find that as my anxiety becomes lower that synptom subsides for me. The relaxation techniques and he breathing techniques are helpful too imho. I havent had this symptom in a while now but I do agree with you that is is truely annoying. Hang in there! And remember, this too shall pass! -Diva

I apologize if this has been discussed already, but I've been struggling the past few days with a symptom that has come and gone over just the past year or so. At first it only happened when I would lie in bed on my stomach (my preferred position), and then only sometimes. I would feel like my breathing was restricted somehow and I'd have to turn over. I dismissed it as some kind of gastric symptom. Then later on the problem started happening in my waking hours, especially when I'm seated. This could just be because when I'm walking about I'm distracted, but when I'm seated I may be "listening in" as they call it. These last few days this problem has returned. I know I'm breathing okay because I'm not panting for air and I'm certainly not turning blue or anything. Yet there's this feeling as if I'm not getting a really good deep breath. Then suddenly I'll have this involuntary gasp or sudden yawn that feels like a wonderful internal massage. I hope this makes sense. The best way to describe it is the feeling you get after you've been crying and you start having those funny little gasps. I don't think I've been particularly anxious, although I do think my hormones are doing some funny things judging by the condition of my skin lately. I've also been thinking about this big surprise party my sister's planning for my mother a month from now. Number one it's to be held at a restaurant (not an easy place for me to be), and number two it's to be sort of a reunion for our huge family (which means having to answer uncomfortable questions about my life from people I haven't seen in ages). Okay, so maybe I'm a little anxious, but this problem has been coming and going before this. Claire Weekes described this symptom in one of her books and I know this is probably what I'm experiencing, but I just can't seem to figure out how to handle it. Breathing exercises only seem to help while I'm actually doing them, but when I stop I'm back to the tight feeling. Weekes wrote about accepting and floating, but I'm not sure I'm really grasping the concept of accepting. I guess I'm just aggravated that every time I feel like I've made good progress I get something like this to discourage me. I was especially thrown today when I woke up and immediately found