Inisight #35 Deep Breathing

It is very important to understand how breathing works to reduce anxiety and why it won’t stop a panic attack. If there is a magic pill for reducing anxiety levels, it would be deep breathing. However, in hot moments, do not expect breathing to stop a panic attack in an instant. There are two reasons for this: A conscious resistant attitude which fuels the panic cycle. No matter how much deep breathing you do to reduce anxiety levels, if you are reacting to your anxious sensations with fear, you are just stoking the fire of panic and nullifying any positive results that deep breathing may have achieved. The sympathetic nervous system, or panic button if you like, can turn on in an instant. This is by design: if a car comes screaming around the corner as I am crossing the road, I need the emergency response to kick in immediately so that I can respond to the threat. ... (watch the video for more)