CanNOT Breathe

[whiteraven]

I remember having issues with breathing when I was about 5. I had trouble taking a deep breath and often had to yawn to get enough air. My dad yelled at me to "quit breathing like that!"

So, it continued up until now, and I'm 63. Every doctor I've ever talked to says it's anxiety, and I'm inclined to agree. It's not on a continual basis, but can go on for months. It wears me out sometimes.

Anyone else have this issue? I have talked to my T about it numerous times, brought it up again this week, and he acted like he never heard of it before and questioned if it was really anxiety.

 

[PamelaS]

I remember having issues with breathing when I was about 5. I had trouble taking a deep breath and often had to yawn to get enough air. My dad yelled at me to "quit breathing like that!"

So, it continued up until now, and I'm 63. Every doctor I've ever talked to says it's anxiety, and I'm inclined to agree. It's not on a continual basis, but can go on for months. It wears me out sometimes.

Anyone else have this issue? I have talked to my T about it numerous times, brought it up again this week, and he acted like he never heard of it before and questioned if it was really anxiety.

Sorry about your experience with your T. Take it with a grain of salt. They don’t always know what they’re doing. I agree with you that it is probably anxiety based and part of the fight and flight response. Have you tried any mindfulness and relaxation techniques? Have you tried intentionally deep breathing when you’re not triggered? I have a breathing technique that helps to trigger the vagus nerve to shut off the fight and flight response.

* Breathe in deeply for four counts while putting your hand on your belly to make sure you are filling your belly with air instead of your lungs. There’s a reason for this.
* Hold your breath for four counts
* Breathe out slowly for eight counts. This is the most important part. It turns off the fight and flight response that might be behind your anxiety.
* Repeat until your body responds and relaxes. Do this multiple times a day. The more you do it the more effective it is and your body will learn to respond to it more quickly.

Hope you find some answers and direction through this thread that will help you to break free of some of this.

 

[RVA21]

I get this a lot, at times I'm low on folate/iron and I have problems breathing due to anxiety a lot of the time too.

Has your Dr checked if you have any deficiencies that may be causing/contributing to it?

 

[arfie]

i have this issue in spades. at 70, my two foster daughters might be helping me understand it, at last. maybe. my understanding might win me my next toxic mom awards. we see, every round is a guess.

when my foster daughters cry, they do the dramatic hiccup style cry where it looks like they are doing physical damage to their esophagus. i want to cry, "stop" to prevent that damage to those angelic vocal cords, but you have personal experience with why i hesitate. instead, i take them by the hands and/or face and start deep breathing exercises which they reflexively imitate. i might have yelled, "stop" a time or three when that tactic didn't work, especially with the baby, now 6 years old. big sis came to me with this tick at age 3. i believe it is natural to her as a highly sensitive person. baby sis is terrific, but not highly sensitive by nature. i believe she learned this tick by imitation. she adores big sis. the breathing technique which works like a charm on big sis (9) doesn't work so well with baby sis. telling her to stop seems to be more effective.

twining this current evolution with my personal herstory has put a new perspective on the two most repeated words in my own psychotherapy, "just breathe." i find myself shocked that your t blew the question off. i couldn't get my 20th century shrinks to shut up about it. oh well. people were smarter than phones way back then.

 

[whiteraven]

Have you tried any mindfulness and relaxation techniques? Have you tried intentionally deep breathing when you’re not triggered? I have a breathing technique that helps to trigger the vagus nerve to shut off the fight and flight response.

Oh yeah. One thing that does help (sometimes) is breathing with an app I have. It seems I need something to direct me to breathe; I'm not able to focus enough to make myself just do it. Thanks for the response!

Has your Dr checked if you have any deficiencies that may be causing/contributing to it?

Yeah...I have lots of physical issues, and they check for everything.

 

[PamelaS]

Oh yeah. One thing that does help (sometimes) is breathing with an app I have. It seems I need something to direct me to breathe; I'm not able to focus enough to make myself just do it. Thanks for the response!

Yeah...I have lots of physical issues, and they check for everything.

I also like to do a guided meditation involving muscle relaxation going from top of your head to bottom of your feet tightening each area as you go. It’s really powerful. See if you can find one to follow. I play the same one on repeat whenever I need it. I found it on the Soothing Pod app under the playlist for managing stress. Wish you the best as you try a few things and make them a regular habit/routine, like before you go to bed to relax and prepare for a better night’s sleep.

 

[Midnightmoon]

Wonder if it's worth asking the doc about breathing pattern disorder? It's known to be co morbid with some trauma based conditions and there's definitely treatment out there that can help if that's playing a part (mainly respiratory physio here, might be different where you are)

 

[Susan Jane]

I remember having issues with breathing when I was about 5. I had trouble taking a deep breath and often had to yawn to get enough air. My dad yelled at me to "quit breathing like that!"

So, it continued up until now, and I'm 63. Every doctor I've ever talked to says it's anxiety, and I'm inclined to agree. It's not on a continual basis, but can go on for months. It wears me out sometimes.

Anyone else have this issue? I have talked to my T about it numerous times, brought it up again this week, and he acted like he never heard of it before and questioned if it was really anxiety.

Yes, I shallow breathe… always have. It is like I never learned to deep breathe. I know it is important for “us” to understand our symptoms, and having a “health adviser” not understand is a trigger for me. Is it physical, is it in my head…is it …is it.. and off goes my anxiety. . Sending understanding