Breath Holding, Just Discovered I'm Doing It A Lot, Wtf?

[GingerAli]

I practice mindfulness meditation. And part of my focus is on my breathing, which obviously if you are "watching" your breath, you aren't going to be holding it. my T also trained me to breath from my belly, which has effects on the parasympathetic nervous system, eventually helping to relax your whole body. He also taught me to use a meditation app that rings bells randomly throughout the day and to take a "belly breath" whenever it goes off. To randomly remind you throughout the day to bring yourself to the present and to your body. If you have a smart phone and want to try this, there is a free app called lotus bud that has bells that ring at random intervals.

 

[Jane.l]

I Like all the suggestions and we did try some mindful breathing and controlled breathing in session but I get really badly triggered by taking deep breaths !!! Then I think - omg I can't even breathe probably and I feel mad at myself .

 

[gone]

Many thanks to everyone for these wonderful suggestions/thoughts.

For me I rely heavily on my phone to remind me of appointments and such, so for me, putting in reminders every few hours to take deep breaths helps

That's a great idea @mytai ! Thank you.

try singing or a wind/brass instrument, or at least their breathing exercises and techniques- it's time for you and you may help yourself along the way

Another great idea @Kas_Can_Fly . I think I'm about to get my hands on a didgeridoo, which I tried playing for the first time a few months ago and immediately became obsessed with. To learn to play, I'll have to learn circular breathing. That should keep me busy for a few years.

@GingerAli — if you don't mind sharing, what meditation app is that? Sounds perfect.

@Jane.l — I know that feeling of panic with deep breaths. I don't get it all the time but when I do it sucks. It's hard not to get pissed at ourselves, but I'm trying really hard to do what my T suggests and thank my body for all these responses. They're uncomfortable as hell, but they are pointers for us that something is up, some trigger we may not have been conscious of before, that we can work with now. I try to remember to say: Thank you body, you are an awesome source of insight.

 

[GingerAli]

@Amne, I believe it's called lotus bud.

@Jane.l, my T stressed that it's unnecessary to take deep breaths when practicing mindfulness meditation. You are supposed to try to breath normally, and draw attention to the breath, so there is no need to breath deeply. Also, a main component of mindfulness meditation is to do it non judgmentally. There is no right or wrong way to breath while doing it. It's ok to get distracted too! (And completely normal) just note it and redirect your thoughts back to the breath. :) it was also explained to me the benefits of practicing this on a regular basis so it becomes easier when your having a hard time.