Having a little trouble with deep breaths today . It is very hot today , +32C and lots of fluff blowing around so i haven't been out much . But i am having difficulty taking a deep breath which elevates my anxiety . I am a little anxious today anyway as i have a couple of appts coming up . I am trying hard to quietly accept that it is just anxiety and move on ....but its not easy . Don't know if i should ask for a rescue inhaler next appt or would that be just a crutch ?
Breathing Difficulties
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Jonathan123
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In anxiety the chest muscles tighten up so that we can often feel we are unable to take a deep breath. Another of Mr, Anxiety's little tricks. Don;t force yourself to try and breathe properly but accept it is so for the moment. It all eases as we begin to accept and recover.
A hot and maybe humid atmosphere can cause breasting difficulties even in so called 'normal' people.
PieFan
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I suffer more than ever with asthma, which I only used to get in cold weather, I always carry an inhaler now. My doctor did a breathing test. Spirometer. See your doctor.
Allergies, pollution, humidity, RSV and Covid infections...our respiratory systems have a lot to cope with!
Thank you , you great people can never leave this forum lol . Your advice and information are invaluable to me and I'm sure to many others here . I have read both the anxiety books that you MATD and a few others have suggested . But i think i beed to re-read them both . I was likely way too anxious when i read them , reading 100 miles an hour to get thru them , hoping it was magically going to cure me . I get it , its a process of practice and patience .
It is true that when we read we just cannot absorb or comprehend all the facts when anxiety is at work. But some helpful info is to keep reading as you go along. I keep my books nearby to consult as often as needed. Over the course of my recovery, I found that I didn’t absorb necessary facts myself. That’s why I keep them close by, for quick reference, especially if I am starting to question my recovery progress. Keep in mind that recovery is not fast and also understand we have to adjust our expectations to more realistic ones as we go along. The breathing problem I can certainly relate to as my chest muscles just wouldn’t allow for the ability to take a deep breath. But over the course of recovery they have relaxed and I can now breathe deep again. Keep reading over and over, as much as you can. You will begin to absorb and comprehend as time goes by. Don’t give up! It really works if you just give it the necessary time. On another note, I just had my anti depressant lowered to half of what I was taking. I felt ready to take the step as my condition has improved enough to be truly confident I can manage on a lower dose. Time will tell but practicing acceptance has done wonders for me. It hasn’t been easy, but it was not any more difficult than languishing in my own misery. And the kicker is that practicing helped while languishing did nothing but cause more grief. Best wishes.
Jonathan123
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I keep all Dr. Weekes' books and recordings. It is well over forty years since I first read them, and they still make so much sense to me.
I remember a lecture she gave to psychiatrists who were mostly against her teachings. (Well, they would be wouldn't they?). 'It's all too simple' they said. That's just it, it is simple but so hard to do. The three 'P's' apply. Patience, perseverance and practice. People give up too soon because at first there is no obvious effect. But it works in the background if we practice enough. I do believe that it goes hand in hand with exploration of how we got where we are. While practicing acceptance we can still look at ourselves and see us as we are and correct any misdemeanors that may be responsible for our condition. Love overrides all things, not just our neighbour but ourselves.
I remember a lecture she gave to psychiatrists who were mostly against her teachings. (Well, they would be wouldn't they?). 'It's all too simple' they said. That's just it, it is simple but so hard to do. The three 'P's' apply. Patience, perseverance and practice. People give up too soon because at first there is no obvious effect. But it works in the background if we practice enough. I do believe that it goes hand in hand with exploration of how we got where we are. While practicing acceptance we can still look at ourselves and see us as we are and correct any misdemeanors that may be responsible for our condition. Love overrides all things, not just our neighbour but ourselves.
Oh Yes!!! I do know. In anxiety we look so hard for the 'magic wand' that we are sure someone has that will cure our pain. It's when so many get exploited because they are so open and vulnerable to suggestion. I spent a lot of money getting help from so called 'professionals', but it was the ones I didn't have to pay that helped me most. There is no 'quick fix' in anxiety. It's a hard often uphill slog. But, honestly, the rewards can be great if we go about it in the right way. I suggest another book that has been printed as many times as the Bible. 'The Pilgrim's Way' by John Bunyan. It's written in medieval English, but you can get used to that. Christian. Bunyan's hero, went through so much pain and distress to get to what he called the 'Celestial City'. To us that would be anxiety free. He was told not to look back but forward. When he disobeyed and looked back he always ran into trouble. The people he met on the path are alive today. Helpers and disrupters! Friends, and those who would lead us up the wrong path. Sorting the sheep from the goats is not easy in the early stages of anxiety.
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Jonathan is correct in that we give up too soon and quit, thinking the method isn’t working. The three P’s are very important and if we can put them into practice as best we can we will see results. Anxiety is a learned behavior and it stands to reason it will take time to change that behavior. It won’t happen all at once but if we stay the course we will see results. I myself can also vouch for the learning experience along the way. It has been an eye opener. What makes us quit is that impatience we all have, which is another “symptom” anxiety blesses us with. If we can see that impatience is just that, another side effect of anxiety, we can keep going. It has been an interesting and at the same time difficult journey for me. But the moment I knew it was working and I actually could perceive results, I knew there was no going back. Practicing acceptance has really opened my eyes to what I have been doing to myself. I’ve had many doubts along the way, but that’s just the anxiety. Once I realized that everything I thought or felt was influenced by anxiety, it became easier over time to discern what my mind was doing. I think the trickiest part is understanding that anxiety will try to protect us from ourselves as we endeavor recovery. That protective layer of anxiety wants to keep us from recovery, keeping us sheltered from life and all the ups and downs in it. Once we can recognize that and keep moving forward regardless of what we are thinking and feeling, accepting that anxiety is trying to protect us, the road gets easier, smoother.
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Thanks so much for the replies, yes impatience is something i struggle with . I have looked for the quick fixes also , always hoping...but you MATD and Jonathon really do give me the hope and drive to perservere and read the books again and go back to them when i need them . So happy to hear that the method WILL work if i put in the work .
Yes, it will. It is a process, a journey. It won’t happen fast. It takes time to undo the damage we have done to ourselves. That’s why we have to BUILD the three P’s. We don’t possess them in the beginning, but we can and will learn them along the way. This is said using my own experience. I was depleted of patience, perseverance and persistence. Zero, none. But I have found that by practicing these attributes as best I can, they slowly build.
Jonathan123
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Yes indeed. But we both speak from experience. Hope is always present whether we see it or not. Like love, everyone has it but it's a case of putting it into action. I doubt MATD would say it's easy, oh no, but it can be done given the will. Apathy is a constant threat in anxiety. Anxiety can become a habit like anything else, and so often it becomes our 'comfort zone'. That may sound odd, but if we are well and not anxious it means taking on responsibilities that we may not want. Anxiety can often be the excuse for doing nothing. You use the term 'struggle with' Now that is not good. Give up any form of resistance to 'IT'. You can never win that fight. It may be the opposite to what you think you should do. Ignore your instincts. Anxiety is perpetuated by fighting or struggling.
I like the idea of a journey. It's what Christian went through in the 'Pilgrim's Progress'. But a journey has to have an ending, a destination. We can walk the path for ever and never arrive if we don't have an aim. The word 'sin' in the King James version of the Bible is misinterpreted, like so much more. The Greek, which was a direct translation from Aramaic which Christ spoke, uses the word 'sin' in archery. It means 'to miss the mark'. We have to have an aim, a destination. We need to aim for the bullseye. Like all things it does need practice. That aim is peace. What a lovely word. 'Peace of mind'. I have met very few who have it, but it is there to be had if we go about it in the right way.
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Get on you tube and search for breathing exercises for anxiety. They are very relaxing and show you how to breathe properly when you have anxiety. Summer as short as 10 minutes and others go for quite a while. Proper breathing is the key to calming down anxiety and anxiety about breathing. Take care.
I will check them out !