It can happen to each of us to go through a period of stress or emotional difficulty. It can be because of a bad relationship, or because of too much work. Maybe it can also simply be a time when you have a lot of thoughts on your mind.
It is precisely in these moments that the possibility of anxiety attacks caused by the stress of these situations arises. Anxiety, as we know, is a psychic state that can present itself with some symptoms also on the physical level.
Among the most common is the so-called shortness of breath. The breath may simply begin to fail and the person may be in a state of hyperventilation.
For this reason, it is useful to know how to control your breathing in these moments.
In the next few lines we will see how very few people know this special breathing technique to counteract anxiety attacks.
What Happens When An Anxiety Attack Occurs
Let’s start from the premise that, in cases of an anxiety attack, we usually breathe with a greater depth and rhythm than normal. This leads to more oxygen in the body than is needed right now.
What is perceived is the imminence of a danger and this pushes us to increase the rhythm of the breath. The consequence is a lower concentration of carbon dioxide in the blood with a subsequent peripheral vasoconstriction. The less perfused brain will therefore require even more oxygen.
This is all a vicious circle that can be broken if you can better control your breathing. The technique we will refer to is the one called deep exhalation.
It can be performed in any position you feel comfortable, even standing up and it is useful to know something else as well. The exhalation is connected to the so-called parasympathetic nervous system, that is the part that affects our body’s ability to relax and calm down.
Very few people know this special breathing technique to counteract anxiety attacks
What has just been described is why the first thing to do when you are in a state of anxiety is a deep and long breath. You must exhale completely, expelling all the air from the lungs and then inhale.
One could think of lengthening the exhalation phase compared to the inhalation phase. An example would be to exhale for about 6 seconds while you can inhale for 4.
Moreover, once the time has been decided, you can continue for a maximum of 5 minutes waiting for the breathing to stabilize.
Obviously it is good to keep in mind that, if anxiety becomes a problem at the level of psychophysical and social well-being, it is essential to consult a specialist.
Thanks to him it will be possible to investigate the causes that derive from these anxiety attacks and do important work on themselves.