How to Cope With Breathing Difficulties from Anxiety

If you feel that you can’t catch your breath or breathe deeply, try this. Take a deep breath and hold it as long as you possibly can until you feel you are absolutely bursting. Don’t cheat by taking little breaths. Time yourself. You will find that in about 60 seconds you simply can’t keep from breathing any longer. Your body’s reflexes will force you to take a deep breath. Repeat this exercise each time you feel you can’t breathe properly. Maybe your breathing problem is the opposite one—taking too many deep breaths. This washes out the carbon dioxide in one’s blood and can lead to tingling in the fingers and painful contractions of the hands and feet. The remedy is simple. Continue breathing deeply but simply hold a paper bag over your mouth so that you inhale back the carbon dioxide you have just breathed out. The overbreathing is also then likely to stop. Keep a paper bag in your pocket ready for use every time you catch yourself overbreathing. Or, even simpler, remind your¬self to breath “slow and shallow” so that the “hyper” leaves your ventilation.