If you’ve been diagnosed with anxiety disorder, you probably have respiratory problems as well. It doesn’t necessarily mean there’s something wrong with your lungs, though. It’s just quite likely that you’re not breathing properly, since you have ongoing anxiousness – moreover, the lack of proper respiratory circulation may actually be adding up to your anxiousness. Fortunately, you can sever this negative cycle by understanding how anxiety relates with your respiratory functions.
To begin with, you should know that your breathing is closely connected with your mental and emotional states you’re just not aware of it yet, but it’s very important that you start paying attention. Whenever you’re feeling relaxed and peaceful, your respiratory process tends to match your feelings, so your breathing gets slower and deeper. Conversely, when you’re feeling anxious and restless, your breath instantly gets shallow and rapid. If you start watching how you breathe, you will soon realize there’s a clear connection between your respiratory function and your feelings and moods.
This is actually something you can use to your advantage, since the interplay between your anxiety and your respiratory process works in both directions. Meaning that your anxiousness can disrupt your regular breathing, but you can also disrupt your anxiety by doing deep breathing exercises. And you’ll be quite surprised when you realize how quick and effective this technique can be, despite appearing so utterly simplistic. You should positively try these methods for yourself, because oftentimes the simplest anxiety management strategies are indeed the most effective.
Next time you notice your anxiety is interfering with your respiratory cycles, try this: focus all of your attention on the air coming in and out of your lungs. Breathe slowly from your nose as you count to ten, and focus on the invigorating sensations the fresh air evokes; hold your breath for a few moments, before allowing the air to slowly be expelled from your lungs, as you count backwards from 10. Perform this exercise a few times every day, don’t just do it when you’re feeling anxious: you should try to normalize your breathing anytime you notice it’s getting shallow, since that way you’ll get the best, longer-lasting results.
After a while, deep breathing exercises should become second nature to you, and you’ll find yourself executing these exercises without even thinking about it. Most importantly, you’ll notice that as your respiratory function gets normalized, so do your emotions! It won’t be long until you find that your anxiety is not quite as intense as it used to be, and you’ll steadily progress in your recovery without need for pharmaceutics or therapy.
