One of the most common symptoms that someone having a panic attack will experience is difficult and constricted breathing. Sometimes the breath will feel totally constricted with the sufferer is unable to draw breath. And other times the breathing will become rapid to the point of hyperventilation. When you consider this, it seems appropriate that most methods of dealing with panic attacks incorporate some form of breathing technique.

The most useful breathing technique that can be used in a panic attack situation is abdominal breathing. Most people in times of stress, and this would be particularly so in the case of someone experiencing severe anxiety or a panic attack, start to breathe in a very shallow fashion and high in the chest. It is almost as if they are rapidly panting and unable to catch their breath. This is exactly what happens when the body goes into a fight or flight response.

What further compounds this problem and what can ultimately lead to a full on panic attack response is that the person having the breathing difficulty begin to focus on their inability to take a deep breath.

Once our nervous system becomes aware of the breathing problem it gives us feedback that there is a problem and we need to do something about it. Unfortunately for the anxiety and panic attack sufferer they cannot do anything about it. In becoming aware of the problem and knowing they can’t correct it they simply create more anxiety and panic increasing the intensity of their panic attack.

This is the vicious cycle of a panic attack.

A regular practice routine of controlled abdominal breathing, will over time develop in the anxiety sufferer a very useful way of controlling and coping with their anxiety attack. However in order to be able to use this particular technique during the worst anxiety and panic attack situations a certain amount of training is needed in the method.

It’s not unlike training for athletic event where the body over period of time begins to get used to the activities that you are engaged to the point that they become virtually automatic when they need to be performed.

Ideally if you suffer from panic attacks you will want to practise abdominal breathing during times when your stress levels and anxiety levels are almost non-existent. By practising in these less stressful times the body is given a chance to familiarise itself with this different breathing method. And once the body becomes familiar with this particular style of breathing it should then be practised during times of moderate anxiety and stress.

Over time our confidence and ability to apply the deep abdominal breathing technique in all kinds of situations of varying levels of stress and anxiety increases. So much so that in a very short time the method can be applied during a panic attack situation.

While abdominal breathing can be of great benefit during a panic attack, the added bonus is that by regularly practising deep abdominal breathing the nervous system has a chance to relax to some degree helping it to become less likely to respond to stress and anxiety in the same way.

The technique of controlled abdominal breathing is quite simple. If this is your first attempt at breathing in this way remember to start slowly, as you would with any exercise, and gradually increase the length of time of your breathing practice sessions

Believe it or not abdominal deep breathing is the way we are supposed to breathe. It is out natural breathing style that we somehow forget to use. If you look at young kids they are all belly breathers, but as we age we tend to breath more in our chest.

Don’t think of this as learning some strange or weird breathing technique. What you are doing here is simply remembering with some regular practice how to breathe properly once again.

If you want to learn how to do deep abdominal breathing for panic attacks and learn more about coping with anxiety and panic attacks and getting your no cost dealing with panic attacks report visit www.anxiety-cures.org

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