How you breathe can have an impact on your panic attacks. Most of us don’t give any thought to how we breathe but learning how to do it correctly can help you with treating panic attacks. You can reduce the frequency of your attacks and the length of the them when they do occur.

Breathe Right to Reduce Stress

There are essentially two common ways to breathe, from the chest and from the abdomen. When people are feeling stressed or anxious they have a tendency to breathe from the chest in short, shallow breaths. Doing this can upset the carbon dioxide and oxygen balance in the body which can lead to a number of physical symptoms, these include increased heart rate, muscle tension 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.

Relaxation Through Abdominal Breathing

This simple technique can be used to help with treating panic attacks. They key is to practice this technique outside of those situations that make you anxious so that you can use it automatically when you start to feel anxious. (note: try practicing this when you can be alone, lying or sitting down at first. If you feel uncomfortable or dizzy stop immediately):

Relax your shoulders as much as you can. Put one hand on your stomach inhale slowly through your nose. When you are breathing through your diaphragm, your hand should rise and fall with each breath.

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.

Practicing this technique will help you use it for preventing and treating panic attacks. The key is to practice it at home so that you can apply it when you start to feel anxious or stressed. Adding this to other methods you may already be using can help you win the battle against panic attacks and anxiety.

How To Get Rid Of Anxiety will show you the best strategies to get rid of anxiety and panic. Here is a easy method that you can use for treating panic attacks that is free and available to everyone.