Posted by alexandra_k on October 8, 2006, at 17:15:22
In reply to Re: mindfulness breathing exercise » Deneb, posted by alexandra_k on October 6, 2006, at 21:38:36
Actually...
I've never had panic attacks. Have a more generalised anxiety. Or the object is people I don't know very well or strangers or something like that.
I remember hearing that sometimes focusing on breathing can be a bit much for people who panic.
Because panic is... Feeling your breathing speed up and your heart race etc and interpreting the feeling as 'oh my god I'm going to die' or something like that. So focusing on the internal states can be a bit much to begin with.
You can do the exercise focusing on some external object instead of an internal object. You could focus on how an object feels in your hand or how an object looks or both even. Focusing of attention is the crucial bit, it doesn't really matter what you focus on.
One thing that is nice about the breathing exercise is that after a while just becoming aware of your breath can help you feel centred and calm. Your breath is always with you and if you start to feel anxious focusing on calming breaths can help regulate your anxiety so you are able to calm yourself down.
Paradoxically... If you start out trying to change your breath you can't do it. You have to start out by accepting your breath just the way it is and then once you have done that its time to work on taking calming breaths.
This was my path anyway...
But it is one way into it.
poster:alexandra_k
thread:691052
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20061005/msgs/693094.html