subject: How To Breathe Through Your Next Panic Attack [print this page] If you're unlucky enough to experience panic attacks, you will know that there are a wide range of symptoms. Every one of them are upsetting and can have a bad impact on how you live your life, perhaps also causing you to be continuously uneasy about when your next panic attack will arrive.
By learning to control how you breathe, you can make a huge difference to your panic attacks and, given time and practice, you might even be able to end them dead in their tracks.
Initially, it may not be simple to breathe into your panic attack. It's worth practicing these breathing exercises to ensure that they'll become a natural reaction for you.
Breathing exercises are a simple yet effective way to deal with your panic attacks.
Learning to breathe from the diaphragm
You have to learn how you can breathe from your diaphragm. As soon as you have learned this method, you'll discover that it becomes second nature. At first it might seem a somewhat odd way to breathe. Stick with it and you will see some positive results really fast.
Breathing from the diaphragm is actually the most natural technique of breathing. You used it as a baby but, with time, you have discovered other, less natural breathing methods. Now is the time to re-learn!
Place one hand on your abdomen (the part of your body that lies between your chest and your thigh) and the other hand on your chest. As you start to breathe, your chest ought to remain still and barely moving as you breathe in. Instead, your stomach ought to expand with the air you're breathing in.
Once you have taken a deep breath in, slowly start to exhale. Envision that all of the air leaves your body as you breathe out.
The aim of this method is to slow down your breathing. After a few deep breaths, you ought to be taking roughly 6 breaths a minute. Probably quite a couple of less than the shallow breaths you are taking at the moment.
Your breathing rhythm should be slow and natural. There is no need to haste. Your stomach ought to rise and fall efficiently. Even though I suggested visualizing that you are breathing all the air out of your body, keep that thought in your mind. Do not strain breathing in or out.
If you're feeling dizzy or light headed when practicing this new breathing method, just stop and relax. As soon as you're back to normal, start to practice again. Keep up the practice for a couple of minutes.
Congratulations! Now that you have discovered this breathing technique, you are able to merely apply it whenever you're feeling the symptoms of a panic attack coming along. At the slightest hint of any of the symptoms, begin to breathe from your diaphragm. This alone ought to reduce the risk of hyperventilating when you next suffer from a panic attack.
