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Most people don’t give much, if any thought to how they breathe. Did you know that how you breathe could be a contributing factor in how often you experience panic attacks and how long your attacks are? Learning how to breathe correctly can help you with treating panic attacks.

Breathe Right to Reduce Stress

The most natural way to breathe is from the abdomen but when people get stressed or anxious they will often start breathing from their chest. Chest breathing, as the name suggests, is when you take shallow and rapid breaths from the chest. This type of breathing upsets the balance of carbon dioxide and oxygen in the body and can lead to a number of physical symptoms including muscle tension, increased heart rate and dizziness.

When you are breathing with your diaphragm, your breaths will be deep, even and fill your lungs. When you are in a deep sleep and relaxed you will do this automatically. Breathing in this manner is the natural way to breathe; even a newborn baby does it.

You can easily determine which way you are breathing with this simple test. Place one hand on your chest and your other hand on your stomach. The hand that moves indicated the type of breathing you are doing – hand on stomach moving? You are abdominal breathing. Hand on chest moving? You are chest breathing. By understanding which breathing mode you are in, you will be on track to being able to control your panic and anxiety.

Breathe Deep and Relax

This easy exercise can be used when you are feeling anxious to help with treating panic attacks. You want to practice this when you are in comfortable surrounding and preferably relaxed so that you can apply it when you start to feel anxious or stressed. (note: if you feel dizzy or uncomfortable at any time stop the exercise right away):

Sit or lay down and try to relax as much as possible. Place a hand on your stomach and inhale slowly through your nose. Your hand should rise and fall with each breath if you are breathing with your diaphragm.

Exhale through your mouth without holding your breath. You don’t want to force the air out but let it exit your lungs naturally.

Do this several times in a row.

You can turn this into a breathing mediation and increase the level of calmness you experience. As you breathe in and out, focus on the rise and fall of you tummy. Just feel the air move in and out and allow all other thoughts to drift away. Thoughts will occur, but just let them pass like a cloud in the sky.

You can use proper breathing techniques for treating panic attacks and reducing the severity of them. When you add proper abdominal breathing to other techniques you may already be using against anxiety and panic attacks you will be well on your way to getting your life back.

How To Get Rid Of Anxiety has all the best strategies for dealing with panic and anxiety. One simple method that you can start using right away for treating panic attacks is available to anyone and won’t cost a penny.

Good planning will put you on the right track for managing panic attacks. It can be challenging to predict when a panic attack will take place, but if you take steps to prepare yourself in advance, then you can reduce the severity and impact these attacks have on you. Here are five things you can do beforehand:

Do not forget to keep breathing.

Have you ever seen anyone on television instructed to breathe into a paper bag in order to calm down? This might work, but learning how to breathe properly on your own before you have a panic attack will prepare you to do it during the attack. So plan ahead, learn and practice calming breathing strategies ahead of time.

Learn to relax.

It can be difficult to think about relaxing during a panic attack. But if you are able to remember to relax and have practiced the skills ahead of time, you will be that much closer to managing your panic.

Understand what triggers your attacks.

Being familiar with what triggers your own panic attacks can also help you get ready for them. Is there a particular phobia you have? Do certain things stress you out more than others? Understanding what may trigger an attack can help you avoid the situation that causes panic, if at all possible (or practical) or provide you with advanced warning of an attack. At that point you can concentrate on breathing and relaxing to help limit the effects of the attack.

Keep important numbers ready.

You likely have a list of people that you can call during an attack that can help you through it. These might be friends, doctors or support groups. If you have a list handy when an attack is beginning, you will be able to get help as soon as you need it. It is also important to keep this list handy because someone else may be able to assist you by calling the people you need.

Bring a “comfort bag” with you.

We often have things in our lives that give us comfort. Pictures of friends, stuffed animals or other trinkets can help with managing panic attacks by helping to calm you down. You can put these in a bag that you can easily take with you whenever you leave the house.

Dealing with Anxiety has a lot of tips for learning how to deal with and manage your panic. You can get a some simple to use tips right away here: treatment for panic attacks