Stress Center Peer Support

While I've gotten over a lot of my anxiety, I find lately an old problem has surfaced. This seems to happen mostly at work. I just started a new job a few months back and I'm thinking it's because I'm not a 100% in my new job with the people I'm working with and the job itself. So I find when I talk to people it's like I'm constantly kind of caught off guard and I automatically hold my breathe. This seems to happen mostly when someone will walk into my office to talk to me. But then I find if I'm conversing with people as well, it's like I'm struggling for breath while I talk. Lord knows what my co-workers think of me,hehe More than worrying about that, it's just VERY uncomfortable and I don't know how to stop it. I take deep breaths but this doesn't seem to be helping.

Okay folks, it's been close to 5 days and no response at all. I can't possibly be the only one with this problem??

Hi P&P..... I have had the "running out of breath" problem you described on and off for years. The only reason I didn't reply to you is because I don't know what to do about it either! I can control it if I can stop talking and do serious deep breathing but that is not always possible Sorry, I am no help.

Thanks Same here, I would have to go off by myself for a few minutes and do some breathing exercises. But then once I'm around anyone again, it starts up all over again. It's very annoying and I find it's starting to interfere with my day to day.

99& likely that the people you are talking to don't notice at all. It happens to me too. I dictate all day at work. When I get breathless, I'll just stop in mid-sentence, taking my foot off the foot-pedal, then I slow it down and breathe. Focusing on just the exhale seems to help. Sometimes focusing on the thing you're having trouble with makes it bigger, though... which is where distraction comes into play. Instead of breathing more deeply, focus on a mole on the person's face, or a plant behind them or do simple math to get out of the limbic system and into the frontal cortex. Your body will breathe naturally.