Anxiety and constricted breathing

[flier]

Basically I went to my hp a few months back feeling depressed and spoke to him about my breathing which I niavely (sp) thought was hayfever related.
I was prescribed ADs but didn't take them but I did feel better after a holiday and talking through what was wrong. I've currently got alot on and breathing is going awry again - does anyone have any self help tips on how to get this breathing under control? I feel that if I can get my breathing under control I'll start to feel better.

[candyfluff]

i have this too -its called hyperventilation syndrome -im having cbt at the moment and im doing breathing exercises

it goes like this
lie down with you hand on your stomach and
breathe in deep through your nose
then slowly breathe out from your mouth
when your lungs are empty
take a pause for 2 seconds and repeat above 5 times in a minute

it may make you feel a bit dizzy but regulates your breathing

do you get chest pains too ?

[flier]

Thanks Candyfluff. I was getting chest pains this morning, was getting really quite panicky but feeling a little better now.

How long have you had it for?

[candyfluff]

i had a really bad bout of depression in october last year ,then came the anxiety and now its mostly this overbreathing thingy,been worse the last few months,im thinking about it more lately though since i found out what the medical name was and then i did the stupid thing of googling it -big mistake worried myself even more. today was bad i was in town and felt very dizzy and though i couldnt breathe properly .managed to calm down but it leaves me totally exhausted.
how long have you had it for ?
i am on ad's

[trollbeadaddict]

I had CBT for anxiety a fews years ago (was getting the breathing porblems too - still get it every now and again). The breathing exercises described worked for me too. Also I tried yoga which was the most relaxing thing ever and really helped. Sounds works particularly well for me, sometimes just listening to a hynotitic voice on the radio sends me into a complete trance.

[candyfluff]

hi trollbeadaddict - im thinking of going to a yoga class just wish it was'nt in a room fullof skinny minnies -im very overweight and doubt my abilities to do half the stuff,be good if i could do a one on one session !!
got another session at cbt tomorrow and i just seem to have been worse since i started ? why do you think that is ?

[trollbeadaddict]

I know what you mean! I'm not thin either (or flexible). In fact I was rubbish but still enjoyed it - it was a very easy class - I don't think I would ever have progressed any further (it was in a buddist temple and one night I was being bothered by a wasp and so killed it - not sure it was the most appropriate thing to do!)

I'm sure that no-one will be looking at you anyway - some of the others will probably be as self concious as you (the most helpful thing I learnt from my CBT was that most other people worry and get anxious too - but are just better at hiding it and appearing more confident).

Good luck with the CBT and hope you feel better soon!

[candyfluff]

how many sessions did you have of cbt - what did they teach you in particular?
at themoment im up to doing things that i would normally find anxiety inducing and breathing exercises,thats it so far ,what else can they do

[flier]

Thanks Candyfluff. This is my 2nd "bout" of the restricted breathing. I've been through cbt for stress 2 years ago but ity sounds like a more general course than the one you are on. At the moment my breathing seems worse first thing in the morning which I think is a bit strange.
Hope your cbt is good today

[flier]

oh and meant to say that we were told that with CBT you quite often get worse before you get better, so please push yourself to complete the course.

[trollbeadaddict]

sorry - work a nightmare so no time to go on MN!! Mine was a long time ago and was also quite general. She talked to me about exactly what I felt anxious about (mostly to do with being a mum / taking on my childrens anxieties / worrying for the world!) and she first went through why worrying is a complete waste of time and also about how it is normal to be anxious occasionally (and at times even useful - stress can help performance in some cases) but if it starts affecting behaviour then need to control it. I didn't do many specific exercises, but I found that as I calmed down and took a more positive view of things, my anxiety attacks stopped. If I get them now for any reason (usually I don't even know what triggers them) I tend not to worry as I know that I have made them go away before so they are not a problem (if that makes sense). As flier said - keep going and good luck.

[MummyDragon]

Hi flier & candyfluff,

Me too - I call it the throat monster (not an original idea, I got it from a book) when my breathing goes all funny.

Yoga is good for hyperventilation/panic attacks/anxiety... you need to find a yoga practitioner who concentrates on breathing. Try to breathe into your stomach ... sounds weird, but it works!

Knowing what your triggers are is important. (Mine are far too weird, specific and embarrassing to mention on here! ) - that way you can start to do the deep breathing as soon as you notice your breathing becoming shallow.