Control your breathing
Hyperventilation - HV (breathing too quickly for your needs) often makes panic worse. To see if this happens to you, tick the following statements that apply to you when you feel panicky:
| Do you feel light-headed or dizzy? | |
| Do you feel you are going to faint? | |
| Do you yawn, sigh or gulp in air? | |
| Do you feel short of breath? | |
| Do you feel your breathing is shallow? | |
| Do you feel your breathing speeds up? | |
| Are you aware of chest pains? | |
| Do you get a numb or tingling feeling around the mouth and nose and/or in your fingers and toes? |
The more statments you ticked, the more HV may play a part in your case.
When you HV, you may feel that you do not have enough air in your lungs. It is the opposite - you really have too much. You have to fight against the desire to take deep breaths, as this will make things worse.
You should try not to yawn, sigh and gulp air for the same reasons. Keep a grip on your breathing. Check every ten minutes that your breathing is nice and slow (about 10-12 breaths a minute).
Breathing Retraining
- Take a breath in and think "1"
- Breathe out and think, "relax"
- Take a breath in and think "2"
- Breathe out and think, "relax"
- Repeat up to 10 and then back down to 1
- Concentrate only on breathing and on the number and "relax" in the minds eye
- Use slow normal breathing (10-12 breaths per minute)
- Breathe in through your nose. Purse your lips and breathe out slowly through your mouth
- Practice twice a day in different places
Quick control
Use a paper bag
Hold a paper (not plastic) bag tightly around your mouth and nose so that no air can get in from outside. If you don't have a paper bag, cup your hands over your mouth and nose. Breathe normally (10-12 breaths per minute) into the bag until you feel better. The bag will go (slightly) in and out as you breathe in and out.
This will help because:
Bear in mind that even though you feel you need more oxygen in your lungs, you really need less. Using the paper bag helps get your breathing sorted. This will calm your body and you should feel more in control.
Of course, you can't just pull out a paper bag in a lot of places. At these times, use the breathing skills you have just learned. Covering your mouth with your hands can also help.
