To breathe slowly and deeply are hard, our minds tell us that we need to gulp in air as fast as we can. This has to be avoided in a panic attack or anxiety filled situation. Gulping in air quickly, using only your chest actually supplies very little oxygen to your body and helps fuel the panic attack because all the quick shallow breathing isn´t having the desired effect and thus you are more nervous.
Most people breathe shallowly. They hold in their stomachs and fail to engage their diaphragms when breathing. We all want to look slim but pushing that belly out with our breaths is the only way to fill up the lungs and utilize their full capacity. Analyze and check your breathing.
• Are you breathing quickly or slowly?
• Are you breathing deeply or shallowly?
• Do you feel your breath in the center of your chest around your heart or do you feel it down low in your abdomen?
You want to breathe slowly and deeply from your abdomen, that´s your goal. Breathing incorrectly causes more harm to your body than you realize.
Not only are you not supplying your body with sufficient oxygen to produce the energy you need you are also causing tightening in your neck and shoulders. When you breathe from your chest you are tightening the muscles in your neck and shoulders which is causing increased tension throughout your body.
If you have a pet, look at them. People, who have dogs or cats and watch them while they´re sleeping will see that their stomachs rise and fall with each breath. This is true of all animals, look at your guinea pig or gerbil, they all breathe with their whole bodies.
Now look down at your belly, is it moving at all? Probably not! But this wasn´t always the case.
When you were a baby, you breathed with your whole body, just as all babies do. If you have a young child, look at them when they are sleeping, their bellies rise and fall. This is because they are abdominally breathing. Something happens and as we age, we stop engaging our diaphragm and stop breathing from our abdomen.
You can re-learn the proper way to breathe and re-engage your abdomen again and get your body feeling better than ever before. Getting the most amount of oxygen to your body in the most efficient way will greatly improve your health and mental wellbeing.
Our bodies are engines in need of a lot of fuel. Every cell in our body needs large amounts of oxygen to function properly. Having a healthy diet and watching what you drink is only part of the battle; breathing is an essential component of a healthier body as well.
Oxygen is needed to run the nervous system, digestive system, power the muscles, to sleep properly, for concentration and memory and to provide energy throughout the day. It´s no wonder that when we are having a panic attack and cutting off our oxygen supply with shallow, inefficient breathing that these are the very functions most directly impacted.
Our heart starts beating rapidly, desperate to get the oxygen it needs to run, our digestive system stops working properly, our muscles tense up, we lose feeling or experience tingling in out extremities because our nervous system has gone into survival mode.
We can´t think properly and our sleep patterns are disrupted. Sufficient oxygen is crucial to restoring normal function, that´s why forcing yourself to breathe slowly and deeply can trigger the relaxation response so deeply needed by your body.
It´s hard to breathe slowly and deeply, our minds tell us that we need to gulp in air as fast as we can. This is the worst thing to do in a panic attack or anxiety filled situation. Gulping in air quickly, using only your chest actually supplies very little oxygen to your body and helps fuel the panic attack because all the quick shallow breathing isn´t having the desired effect and thus you are more nervous.
Breathing slowly and deeply from your abdomen is the key and a technique that you need to learn and practice so you can utilize it in an emergency. By breathing from your abdomen and engaging your core, you are helping your body to get the oxygen it needs and triggering a calming effect in your body that will help ease the unpleasant sensations.
Anxiety and Stress – A Risk of Heart Attack?
Anxiety and stress are known to make a patient get a feeling like heart attack due to rapid pulse and shortness of breath. According to a study it is suggested that shortness of breath or rapid pulse experienced due to stress may evoke a feeling similar to heart attack and even result in serious heart troubles in the long run.
Agoraphobia – Is a Treatment Possible in Worst Cases?
For most sufferers, Agoraphobia is like a living hell. They give up all hope due to the intensity of the symptoms they experience. When treated from an early stage, Agoraphobia can be cured easily. However, since a lot of people are unable to recognize the symptoms, they reach a stage where the condition becomes worse and they tend to fear whether or not cure is possible.
Social Phobia - How to Effectively Use Exposure Therapy to Combat Your Phobias!
Dealing with phobias can be troubling! These little fears can cause big reactions, leading to extreme anxiety, panic attacks and total avoidance of particular people, places, things and activities. Common phobias include fear of flying, fear of driving, fear of animals such as dogs and fear of public speaking. For many people, their fears and their anxieties don´t play a daily part in their lives but for phobia sufferers, their thoughts are always directed towards avoiding that which they fear. Exposure therapy is a great way to lessen the dread that so many phobia sufferers have to contend with but it needs to be approached effectively.
