Breathing Techniques to Manage Your Panic Attacks
Panic attacks are scary, but in truth, physically harmless. To help you calm your terror, breathing techniques can be very helpful. Here are a few different ways of breathing that might help to calm your panic attacks.
Sigh Breathing: Instead of deep breaths, the sigh breath begins with a mild inhale, and a slow exhale. This is to encourage shallower and slower breathing. The sigh breath encourages tranquility through increasing the concentration of carbon dioxide in your blood. In addition, by focusing your senses on the outside world, you divert your attention from your inner turmoil. Lastly, you become an active participant in your body, and you can fight the panic. As you breathe, calmly observe your surroundings. Think about what you can hear, what you can see, what you can smell. Open your senses.
Breathing with your diaphragm: Start by sitting comfortably in a chair, keeping your back straight. Some find closing their eyes more relaxing, so you may want to try that too. Place one hand on your chest and the other on your abdomen. Diaphragmatic breathing requires you to use your abdominal muscles. Inhale and exhale three or four times. You should not be exerting yourself. After your fourth exhale, do not immediately begin inhaling. Wait for a few moments. Without your prompting, your body should soon begin inhaling. Let your body breathe for itself. It will find its natural rhythm. Likely you will notice your abdomen regularly rising and falling. You’re breathing with your diaphragm.
Meditation breathing: If you’ve ever taken a course in yoga or meditation, you know that by modifying your breathing, you can transform your mental state. To combat the onset of a panic attack, you can use meditative breathing to calm yourself. Sit with your back straight, and your feet flat on the ground. You want to have excellent posture, but be comfortable at the same time. Draw in a slow, deep breath. Hold your breath for a few moments, counting to five. Then exhale gradually. Before you inhale again, pause, again counting to five. Then inhale. You should be feeling a separation between your inhales and your exhales.
Buteyko Breathing: The main focus of Buteyko breathing is to reduce breathing, thus increasing carbon dioxide levels in the blood. Carbon dioxide, the body’s natural tranquillizer, will calm the victim of the panic attack. However, some consider Buteyko breathing to be dangerous, as the low oxygen levels may lead to cell death. The disagreement among therapists is still quite contentious. If you decide you wish to pursue Buteyko breathing, you should work with a Buteyko instructor, for maximum safety.
A panic attack is one of the most frightening disorders that you can experience. You will feel totally out of control, mentally, emotionally and physically. Find what you need to know about panic attack treatment at Help for Panic Attacks.
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