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Feeling trapped in my own body

13 years ago 0 +0 / -0 6252

Lenore

When I get on the verge of panic and want to pace I go down in the basement and put a block of wood on the lathe and make wood chips for an hour. The anxiety just fades away and some times I actually make something. Some times all I make is firewood and shavings. I have noticed I do breath different.

Here for you.

Davit.

13 years ago 0 +0 / -0 14

I tried the box breathing last night. It did help and it did calm me down, but (and this would be funny except it isn't funny) I then started getting butterflies while breathing -- I think I might have been overthinking the whole breathing thing. And low and behold, when I come here today, we are all talking about breathing. At any rate, the breathing helped until it didn't help anymore, but I think I get the idea.

Anyone have a suggestion for a good yoga video. I have tapped out the Wii Fit in terms of interest level. I need something new.

13 years ago 0 +0 / -0 653

Hi all,

Challenging and inquisitive bunch, you are!!! OK. Lesson about breathing to begin! As you probably have noticed, breathing occurs with or without our conscious awareness (thanks goodness, eh?!). You can breathe deeply or shallowly. Even when you are controlling your rate or depth of breath, the basic function of the body to inhale is the same: the diaphragm muscle contracts, causing negative pressure in your lungs, which then fill up with air. Getting someone to breathe 'into the abdomen' is just a figure of speech to encourage deep breathing. Some of you may have heard of a type of exercise called pilates. In pilates, you keep your abdomen muscles tight (to develop the strength of your core muscles), and you therefore breathe sorta 'sideways' allowing your chest and ribs to expand to the side. So you have control when you want to! Otherwise, the body takes over, and usually breathing is not that deep, nor that fast. With increased anxiety, breathing can become rapid and shallow, then causing the person to feel out of control (hyperventilating sound familiar?). So, one goal is to keep breathing slow and steady like natural, hence the focus.

Dizzy, if you are experiencing anxiety while abdominal breathing, it is likely because you are not used to it, or it feels weird, or you are concerned that you are doing it wrong. Any of those sound likely to you? Try again and try to figure it out for your self. Like I am trying to say, abdominal breathing is not natural to us; it's just a tool to help slow you down and the anxiety. CBT is about changing how you think in terms of your beliefs about yourself. "I can do this" "I am successful", etc. Does that make sense?

Other things mentioned: counting the breaths, taking time every day to watch your breathing, singing, doing other repetitive activities- those are all great! They are ways to take your mind off your anxious reaction, slow down not only your breathing but stop your mind from 'spiraling out of control', so to speak. And none of them is OCD! They are all excellent suggestions! Thanks

And don't compare yourself to babies breathing. What do they know!?

Tiana, Health Educator

13 years ago 0 +0 / -0 5

This may or may not be helpful but when I'm feeling restless I do something repetative or "mind numbing". I find doing something solitary that keeps my mind busy enough helps my body relax. I'll play solitaire over and over or do easy crosswords. It usually helps....but perhaps it's a touch ocd?

Lenore

13 years ago 0 +0 / -0 1665

Hi Dizzy and Davit: Personally, I have used deep breathing and box breathing for years to help with anxiety, during an attack too. It works for me. I practiced breathing exercises when in a relaxed state so that when I did feel anxiety or stress coming on, I would use it right away to help me relax before the anxiety escalated. When I feel tired out, breathing ex. helps too. Sometimes I just breathe in, hold for a count of two, gently let it out without forcing it out. If you place your hand just below your rib cage you will be able to feel it go up and down as you breathe. It doesn't have to be a big rise, you will feel a slight rising which is o.k. Just remember that breathing in expands, and breathing out contracts.

I would practice this every single day as part of your coping techniques. I remember when learning this that I chose a specific time every day and a specific chair. I would practice this about 10 minutes every day. Whenever I felt anxious again, I would go back to that chair and do the breathing again. After awhile, the mere sitting down in that chair signalled to my body that this was a relaxation time.

Another idea: when I was very anxious and not breathing properly, I used to sing. Singing makes you open up, breathe more and it's a great distraction. I used to use this when driving when I got tensed up.

Hope this gives you some ideas.

Your friend, Sunny

13 years ago 0 +0 / -0 6252

Hi Dizzy

I used to count to try to regulate it. By the way it is interesting that if you pass out your breathing will adjust to what you need. According to my Doctor. I think it is okay to think your breathing back to normal the same as trying to lower your pulse by thought which is much harder and probably only comes down because you are distracting the ForF reaction.

I don't belly breath as much as I should for the simple reason that it puts more O2 in my blood and hence to my brain.

Do you think there is a wrong way to do it. Now you have got me wondering if I just naturally belly breath when I'm anxious. It will have to wait because this antibiotic leaves me short of breath and I just naturally strive to get more air in my lungs.

20 more days to go but I will try to remember the question after I'm back to normal.

Bit confused but curious

Davit

13 years ago 0 +0 / -0 118

I have some questions about breathing. When during an attack some people hyperventilate and others like me stop breathing. I know Ashley said not to use box breathing to stop an attack and I agree. However if you are one of the people who hyperventilate or stop breathing, which makes the symptoms of an attack worse, should you not try some relaxed breathing not necessarily boxed breathing but just relaxes breathing so you are behaviourally telling your body you are relaxed during an attack. This is part of a behavioural change to an attack am I wrong?

I was reading about paying attention to how you breathe during different emotional states. I noticed that I never abdominally breathe unless I do boxed breathing or purposely abdominally breathe. My final question is it worth it when say you watching TV and are in a relaxed state to try to retrain you bodies to a minimum do some abdominal breathing. After 25 years of anxiety, I have turned into a chest breather even when relaxed. I know there are articles that say watch a baby breath when it is not in distress and you will see its tummy or abdomen raise and lower. Again I ask is It worth trying to change how you breathe when in a relaxed state is this not the behavioural part in some small level of CBT. I am thinking that if you retrained your body to breathe abdominally without paying attention then we would naturally have less stress and anxiety. I have been told the answer is no by one person, but it seems to me that part of CBT is to change the way you think and the other part is to change the way you behave or breathe. Alternatively, is the answer to change the way you think about being a chest breather just the thought alone, in other words if you try to abdominally breathe while relaxed you are at first creating some anxiety that you are not doing it naturally. If you achieved abdominal breathing without anxiety towards it and not thinking about it could this not be the ultimate goal, or is it unachievable.

Dizzy i am getting dizzy just thinking about this question just kidding

13 years ago 0 +0 / -0 653

Yoga and stretching!! I can hardly think of anything I would recommend more! Fill yer boots, as we say out east

-- that means 'please do!'. Both are great for relaxing your body and mind. In fact, doing that before bed might help you feel more peaceful as you try to fall asleep. Hope it helps!

Tiana, Health Educator

13 years ago 0 +0 / -0 14

Jason -- I hadn't finished reading Session 1, so I finished up so I could read about Boxed Breathing. I have been having very high levels of anxiety today and it doesn't seem to matter what I do it won't go away. When I get a quiet moment, I will try the boxed breathing.

Davit -- it is not at all a small concilliation to find that others have had the same experiences I have. It makes me feel just a little less isolated, a little less alone in this overwrought body of mine.

Sunny -- I am interested in the lactic acid / anxiety correlation. I have found that the more physically fit I am getting, the higher my levels of anxiety are becoming. Perhaps I had better take more time to stretch and do yoga after my workouts.

Tiana -- I appreciate your professional opinion on the matter of lactic acid. I suppose it couldn't hurt for me to stretch and do yoga either way? !

Thank you all for giving me some help. My stress level is still at what I call "red alert" levels, but I am feeling a shift. The idea that there is something practical that I can try once my little one is safely tucked into bed for the night is reassuring, to say the least. Again, thank you all.

13 years ago 0 +0 / -0 653

Hi all,

Lactic acid builds up in muscles when you use them- that's the 'burn' you get when you are working them really hard. I can't say that I'm aware of any relationship to that and anxiety.

Tiana, Health Educator

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Feeling trapped in my own body