Breathing

@exuberantPal2257

Hey there! I've never really experienced this, but I'll do my best to help out <3 I think that when you start focusing on something you begin to realize that there are small flaws in how you do things. I trust that you are getting enough oxygen because you are still here with us! <3 When you focus on your breathing, do you notice it becoming more rapid, or is it similar to the kind of breathing that you would have when you're just normallly breathing without paying attention? You may be giving yourself something similar to a panic attack where you begin to get stressed over your breathing, and as such, it creates a physical change. Let me know what you think!

i’m so glad i found this thread. i haven’t been able to sleep because i’ve been worried about my breathing. it’s true that a person can’t go long without enough oxygen so maybe i’m okay and i can just calmly go to the doctor about my unrelated abdominal pain. thanks again

@exuberantPal2257

hello friend! I'm sorry to hear that you're struggling with such physical symptoms; i too struggle with that as I'm an asthmatic and i understand why that can feel quite stressful since i'm familiar to such issue. i suspect this might be a pseudo-physical symptom, which indicates that it's all a result of excessive thinking about minor things; which doesn't make it any less real but it just means that it's best to avoid letting your mind wander off on it's own, maybe you could try scheduling your days or taking up new hobbies for instance that would take up most of your mind's capacity and not enough space to think about minorities. we're all here for you!!

@exuberantPal2257

I understand how difficult it can be to focus on your breath. If you are new to breathing practices or mindfulness, take things slowly. Being lightheaded is often a sign of hyperventilation. You could be breathing too rapidly which could cause that.

You can try to go slow by setting a short duration for practice starting with 5 minutes. Lay down on your back and try to make yourself feel comfortable. Place your hands on your belly and the heart, this gesture signals safety to your body. Breathe and notice how the hands move. Be gentle and notice the movement of breath in your body. Keep doing this until the time you set comes to an end.

Try this practice and let me know how it goes.

Some good advice here.

At the end of the day you can’t control your breath. It will do what it needs to do.

In mindfulness a suggestion is that you follow your breath.