Diaphragmatic Breathing to Calm Down the System

Exercise for calming the body and mind (You might get dizzy if you stand, so I would sit down if I were you):

My hypnotist taught me this exercise: When you detect a bodily reaction, tension anywhere - do the One Full Breath Technique. Take a deep breath while feeling your shoulders rise, hold it for 5 seconds, exhale slowly (by pursing your lips) and completely, dropping your shoulders, and squeezing all the air out with your stomach muscles. Squeeze out the butterflies. Then let the air pop back in by relaxing the stomach muscles. Breathing lower in your abdomen a few times like that will help condition your body to stay physically relaxed in stressful situations. Repeat it often.

 

This is from Michigan Medicine:

 

What is Diaphragmatic Breathing for GI Patients?

Diaphragmatic Breathing, also called deep breathing or belly breathing, is a simple technique taught to GI patients to help them manage stress caused by GI conditions.

 

Focusing one’s breath is an effective way to encourage the body to relax. When practicing diaphragmatic breathing, the stomach, rather than the chest, moves with each breath, expanding while inhaling and contracting while exhaling.  Deliberately paying attention to each breath serves to distract and quiet the mind.

 

How Does It Help?

There are many advantages to learning diaphragmatic breathing. The technique:

 

Lowers heart rate and blood pressure

Decreases muscle tension

Increases blood oxygenation

Brings warmth to the hands and feet

Increases energy and motivation

Improves concentration

Strengthens the immune system

Reduces stress hormones

Activates the body’s relaxation response (and reverses the stress response)

Can be easily implemented, requiring no medication or cost

For those suffering from GI symptoms, diaphragmatic breathing offers specific benefits: Activating the diaphragm creates a gentle massaging action felt by internal organs like the intestines and stomach, which can reduce abdominal pain, urgency, bloating and constipation. While diaphragmatic breathing, you are facilitating the activation of the parasympathetic system, which can be thought of as the relaxation response of the body or the “rest and digest” state. Diaphragmatic breathing can help in specific GI-related situations:

 

Diarrhea and urgency: Diaphragmatic breathing can help calm the digestive track and ease those moments of panic (i.e. “I MUST get to the bathroom immediately!”).

Constipation: Diaphragmatic breathing can be used while sitting on the toilet attempting to have a bowel movement to calm and massage the system. The result may be a more complete bowel movement.

 

As you can see, this is a very useful exercise for many benzo symptoms. GOOD LUCK!!!

Thanks Terry, you're so right! 

 

In this strange life, my biggest challenge is to breathe. After 42 months of miserable life, I "forget to breathe". And then I get symptoms that are similar to recovery.

So I do exercises every day. But then I forget. When I relax, I can feel pressure on the chest. It hurts when I massage. And for me, this is due to tensions. Then is diaphragmatic breathing so important.

 

So this was a very good reminder. Thanks! 

Thank you, Translator!!

 

Not only do I forget to breathe, but I feel like I'm caved in or stooped over. I feel beaten down by this mess. No wonder I don't have good breathing!!

 

It's so crazy that what comes naturally to us - breathing - can be done the wrong way. The guy who taught me the exercise used to be an actor, and he said he was taught there. I never realized the impact of breathing incorrectly. And as we all know, anxiety causes improper breathing, too. 

Thanks

You're welcome, bluepm. I hope it helps you!!

I am having rough time I  am 16 months out and I am in set back  high anxiety! 😑

When I hold my breath, I get such unpleasant symptoms; stressed, anxious and dry in my mouth. I also get pain chest and belly. I don't understand why it is so difficult to breathe properly.

And that's the same thing when I sleep. So maybe polysomnography, but now it's unthinkable.

 

I am having rough time I  am 16 months out and I am in set back  high anxiety! 😑

 

Hang in there, bluepm!! It WILL pass. 

 

I used to have so many of those, and I've got to say that as time goes on, they really have settled down. I can get myself into a real tizzy sometimes, but I'm surprised that in the next minute I'm thinking of something else. So there is hope!!!

When I hold my breath, I get such unpleasant symptoms; stressed, anxious and dry in my mouth. I also get pain chest and belly. I don't understand why it is so difficult to breathe properly.

And that's the same thing when I sleep. So maybe polysomnography, but now it's unthinkable.

 

I was wondering if that would happen to people. Maybe hold for 1 second, stop and see how you feel, and don't move up from that until you feel more confident? I hadn't heard of polysomnography, but I looked it up. Do you think it's a sleep disorder or because of a fear that you have - a picture in your mind that comes up when you hold your breath? It's so odd that we develop all kinds of phobias and fears during this benzo mess because the mind can't seem to move on. It's stuck in one place.

 

Did you ever have this before benzos or has it just been since the benzos? I had to go to hypnosis because my phobia about anything connected with blood pressure heightened my fears to a terrible degree, and it all started 7 years ago. So a long time. But I have to root it out. Otherwise I'm going to be a very miserable person. My health has already suffered a great deal because of this fear. And all because ONE medical person said an incorrect thing, and I unfortunately believed her.

 

I hope you can get beyond the fear of holding your breath. It almost sounds to me like something from a past life come to haunt you again. Oh, the things that go on in this benzo crap. If people "outside" only knew!!!

Thanks for your reply Terry!

 

I have always been shy, afraid of conflicts and great demands on myself. So I've probably breathed the wrong way since I was a kid.

And all the stress, during these years, has not made things better. 

 

Oh yeah, if they only knew!

 

I'm like you, was always shy and afraid of conflict. And I'm sure I didn't breathe fully but had short breaths. I used to do a lot of yoga, and that helped tremendously to open the area up. Stomach exercises, too, for the core. But with this benzo mess, I am too afraid of going beyond the bounds. I walk, but I need strengthening exercises, too. 

Terry! When I was younger, the sensitivity was so painful. I reacted to everything, and breathed in the wrong way.

My rescue is the spirit world, and a big part of my life. Conflicts are so meaningless, you just hurt yourself.

 

But I don't understand; why 42 months and I'm still suffering And why I constantly struggle with breathing. But hopefully it will get better.

 

I love hard rock, but also this music. I hope you like it!

 

"Spirit"/Beyonce

 

 

 

 

 

That's a beautiful song! Thank you for posting it, Translator!

 

About the still-suffering, I often wonder, too, what it's all for. Others have talked about breathing problems, too. I think different issues just become an obsession for almost everyone on BB once the benzo mess has you by in its clutches. There's something with the brain that keeps us tied - the amygdala!

 

It seems everyone on here has something that they constantly worry about incessantly. That's what's so cruel. Never before did I worry about my bp. I went to hypnosis last week in order to get rid of the phobia. He gave me an audio that I listen to daily. I have positive sayings in every room in my condo to remind me of the good things in life. I'm really trying to get beyond this. I've even thought of actually having my amygdala taken out! That's how desperate I've been.

 

I'm 65 months out, and only took Ativan for 10 months, but I made many mistakes. So I can see NOW why I'm in this mess. I didn't know any better back then. Hindsight is always 20/20.

 

We can't turn back the clock. But we can slowly slowly improve.