Anxiety Constricted Breathing

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If you were portraying an anxious person on stage, how would you breathe? Would you take slow, deep breaths? Or would you take shallow inhales constricted by tension in your throat and chest?

When we breathe with shallow, constricted breaths, we are adopting one aspect of the emotional posture of anxiety. It is almost impossible to feel deeply calm and relaxed when we are telling our body, through our breathing, that we feel unsafe.

It’s easy to tell ourselves when we’re anxious, “Slow down, relax, take a deep breath” when in reality we may have significant challenges to overcome:

(1) We may physically have forgotten how to take a slow, deep breath.

(2) The muscles of our rib cage, diaphragm, abdomen, and neck may be chronically out of balance and unable to cooperate to allow deep breathing.

(3) Our base emotional state may be one of anxiety and suppressed fear, and from that state deep breathing is extremely difficult (almost like trying to take a deep breath through a straw; it takes that much effort).

(4) Pain anywhere in the body can cause all our muscles to “brace for impact,” leading to tension all over including the breathing muscles.

For example, I was working with a young client a few years ago. She suffered from nearly constant anxiety and was taking medication to provide some minimal relief. A quick check of her breathing depth showed that it was only a “4” on a 10 point subjective scale. And this was after we had done a full session of massage therapy!

So let me ask you, is your anxiety causing the shallow breathing, or is the shallow breathing reinforcing the sense of anxiety? Or BOTH!

Situations that make us anxious further contract the breathing muscles. Once constricted, even in non-anxiety-producing situations, our body doesn’t feel relaxed. The mind keeps sensing that there must be something to be fearful about because “the body is not breathing in a relaxed way.”

Let’s see if we can break that vicious cycle using a simple EFT procedure to release the constriction. If you need to review the EFT Tapping Points, do so now.

(If you do have a chronic disease such as asthma, COPD, pneumonia, congestive heart failure, emphysema, etc., please do not do this exercise if if deep breathing might cause you any distress; when in doubt, as always, consult a medical professional).

Constricted Breathing Technique

At the top of this article, you can start the audio and tap along by clicking the green play button, or download the audio for listening on your computer or portable player by clicking the MP3 link.

First, we’re going to take three deep breaths. On the third breath, I want you to judge on a scale of 0-10 (where 0 means you can’t breathe at all and 10 is the deepest breath you could possibly take), how deep are you breathing right now?

Breathe in……  breathe out…..
Breathe in……  breathe out…..
Breathe in……  breathe out with a big sigh….

Okay, how deep a breath was that last one? 0-10. Make a note of your number and let’s continue.

Now, let’s tap together. Starting at the karate chop point, tap continuously while repeating after me:

“Even though I have this constricted breathing,
I deeply and completely accept myself.”
“Even though I have this constricted breathing,
I choose to breathe deeply.”
“Even though I have this constricted breathing,
I ask my body to feel safe breathing deeply.”

Now we’ll move from point to point, saying our reminder phrase while tapping about 5-7 times at each point:

Top of the head: “This constricted breathing”
Eyebrow: “This constricted breathing”
Side of the eye: “This constricted breathing”
Under the eye: “This constricted breathing”
Under the nose: “This constricted breathing”
Chin: “This constricted breathing”
Collarbone: “This constricted breathing”
Under the arm: “This constricted breathing”

Returning to the karate chop point, tap continuously while repeating the following statements aloud:

“Even though I still have some of this constricted breathing,
I ask my body to remember how to breathe deeply.”
“Even though I still have some of this constricted breathing,
I ask my breathing muscles to cooperate and breathe deeply.”
“Even though I still have some of this constricted breathing,
I choose to find it surprisingly easy to relax, feel safe, and take deep breaths.”

Top of the head: “Remaining constricted breathing”
Eyebrow: “Remaining constricted breathing”
Side of the eye: “Remaining constricted breathing”
Under the eye: “Remaining constricted breathing”
Under the nose: “Remaining constricted breathing”
Chin: “Remaining constricted breathing”
Collarbone: “Remaining constricted breathing”
Under the arm: “Remaining constricted breathing”
Top of the head: “I choose to take relaxed, deep breaths.”

Now, take a nice deep breath and really sigh on the out breath….

On the same 0-10 scale, how deep a breath was that? Did the air seem to flow in and out more smoothly, with less effort? Did you feel more relaxed and less anxious or worried? If you are not at least an “8”, I encourage you to follow this procedure again (and again) as many times every day as feels right to you.

Sometimes, this EFT breathing exercise can bring up some of the deeper issues that you can use EFT to help release. If that happens, take it as a Good Thing, and use EFT right away or call a coach or therapist to help you. Our group coaching program is perfect for helping you apply EFT for such issues. Consider starting your membership right now.

Additional Tips:

• If you are not in a place where you choose to go deeper, be sure to honor your body’s intelligence, as I describe answering the question, “What if I get really emotional at the ‘wrong’ time?”
• Massage therapy can be extremely helpful here, too. Massage can both release stored tension and re-educate muscles in what “relaxed” really means. Have your therapist focus on the breathing muscles of the neck, rib cage, and diaphragm as well as the shoulders, back, and abdomen. (This type of work requires both skill and sensitivity; be sure to choose a manual therapist who specializes in detailed work rather than relaxation Swedish or spa massage.)

People Are Talking…

• Thanks so much for the breathing technique! I have been feeling very terrified and sad today, and the exercise really helped me move the energy! Love, Mary
• This is amazing!! Thanks….my headache went away this afternoon after learning and concentrating on deep breaths….thanks…. Tom
• I thought I wasn’t really stressed when I listened. I found myself yawning quite a bit and now I do feel more relaxed. Thanks! Michele

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Tagged as: Anxiety, Breathing, EFT, Tapping EFT