How to Alleviate Panic Attacks : How to Do Breathing Exercises - Meditation for Anxiety and Panic Attacks - How to Meditate for Beginners - BEXLIFE

How to Alleviate Panic Attacks : How to Do Breathing Exercises




Hi, this is Ben Brennan from Austin, Texas.
I'm coming to you on behalf of Expert Village
and today we're going to be talking about
panic attacks. Okay now I'd like to go over
the breathing exercises you can use to help
yourself be prepared for a panic attack and
actually be able to control or prevent panic
attacks from worsening. The first thing you
want to do is to pay attention to your body.
Are you breathing with your chest or your
abdomen or both? This is important to know
as we've mentioned before in another clip,
most people who suffer from an anxiety attacks
tend to be chest breathers too. So you really
want to know about yourself. Step one is to
lay on your back and relax. For those of us
with higher levels of anxiety, this relaxation
may take a while. But go easy on yourself,
if it takes you a first few days just to get
to the point of relaxation, be glad you probably
needed that relaxation time anyways a lot
more than you needed to learn how to breathe
right now. Be patient with yourself. Once
you are comfortable laying down and relaxed
enough to be able to observe your breathing,
try breathing with only your abdomen. This
may take some time so don't push yourself,
this is about relaxation. Also, remember that
breathing is an autonomic response. So you
really don't breathe as much as you allow
yourself to breathe. If you're having trouble
allowing yourself to breathe with your stomach,
try putting a book on it and adding a little
pressure as you breathe in and out. This will
give your body something to focus on and help
condition your stomach to rise instead of
your chest when you breathe. If you're still
having trouble breathing with your abdomen
instead of your chest, one thing you can do
is turn around and get up on your hands and
knees. Being in this posture will lock your
chest in a fixed position and allow your diaphragm
and your stomach to do the breathing work.
While you're doing this just relax and pay
attention to your stomach and you'll notice
what it feels like for your stomach to do
the breathing work. When you feel comfortable
with this you can go back to lying on your
back and practicing your abdominal breathing
according to the previous steps. Now don't
expect change overnight, but continue to do
this everyday if possible. Preferably for
fifteen minutes but really any amount will
help. You'll find that eventually this may
be the most relaxed part of your day and you
may actually look forward to doing your breathing
exercises. After a few weeks or a few months,
you'll know what to do when you start to feel
that panic coming and not only will you be
able to help panic attacks subside more quickly,
you may be able to avoid a full blown panic
attack from occurring by breathing properly
with your stomach and helping yourself relax
before your small sense of panic turns into
a full blown panic attack.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15F9JQcM5Tk


Meditation for Anxiety and Panic Attacks - How to Meditate for Beginners - BEXLIFE




Hey guys. It’s Bex here and welcome to another
video in my series You Have Four Minutes for
Meditation. Today’s meditation is one for
anxiety about anxiety.
[Music]
Anxiety can be triggered by many things â€" fear,
worry, anger, frustration. But what about
anxiety that’s triggered or made worse by
a fear or worry about anxiety itself?
I suffered from severe anxiety and panic attacks
for nearly 20 years of my life, from childhood
until I was almost 30 years old and I still
experience anxiety today.
It’s definitely a rare occurrence but it’s
part of my personality that I have to manage.
Through the work I’ve done to manage my
anxiety, I’ve discovered that the worst
episodes were not just about the incident
or thought that triggered the panic response.
They were more about the fear of losing control
of my response. The panic would consume me
and I could see no escape. I was having anxiety
about my anxiety and I was afraid that I wouldn’t
be able to rescue myself.
I would feel like I was dying. Please listen
closely to the messages that I’m offering
you today. They have helped me to manage and
heal my fear of losing control and I know
that they can do the same for you.
Let’s begin. The first step is finding your
comfortable seat in a place where you can
be undisturbed. So this could be anywhere
that you can get quiet and be alone.
You can sit cross-legged like me, one foot
in front of the other, or in half lotus or
full lotus, whatever works for you. This doesn’t
have to be on the floor. It’s just where
I prefer to practice meditation.
You could do it on your couch, in your office
chair, on your bed, wherever. Sit up nice
and tall by placing your shoulders over your
hips. You can achieve this by inhaling your
shoulders up to your ears and exhaling your
shoulder blades down your spine.
For today’s meditation, I would like you
to place one hand inside the other like a
cup and rest it on your lap. Next, close your
eyes and start paying attention to your breath.
Observe your easy inhales and exhales in this
moment. Feel them enter your nostrils, pass
down the back of your throat. Feel your chest,
your belly. Settle in your seat and then make
a loop to come up and out again.
There’s no need to change your breath. It’s
in perfect service to you in this moment.
Just allow it to flow easily without trying
to affect it.
Meditation isn’t about forcing yourself
to think of nothing. That’s too much pressure.
My usual instruction is just to allow your
thoughts to come in. Observe them and then
gently and politely say thank you and good-bye.
But today’s practice is going to be a little
bit different. We’re not only going to allow
all the thoughts. We’re going to welcome
them. Every annoying, agitating, fearful and
even pleasant thoughts are going to flood
in and we’re going to allow and appreciate
every single one, because for someone who
suffers from anxiety, not thinking about anything
can trigger a whole new anxiety.
So as you continue to observe your inhales
and exhales, just observe the thoughts coming
in. Today is all about welcoming, allowing,
and being grateful for this moment.
Today isn’t about figuring out anything.
Today, you’re just observing and understanding
that the chaos cannot hurt you. I want you
to repeat the following mantras either silently
or aloud.
They may not feel true to you in this moment
and that’s OK. They will soon become your
truth. They will bring your mind toward a
more peaceful state and you will even start
to feel more physically relaxed.
I am safe in this moment. My thoughts are
mine and mine alone. I create my thoughts.
Therefore I have the power to change my thoughts.
I am safe in this moment. My thoughts are
mine and mine alone. I create my thoughts.
Therefore I have the power to change my thoughts.
Nothing can harm me in this moment. My thoughts
are mine and mine alone. My thoughts have
no power over me. I can see them for what
they are, figments of my imagination.
Nothing can harm me in this moment. My thoughts
are mine and mine alone. My thoughts have
no power over me. I can see them for what
they are, figments of my imagination.
If you’re feeling anxious at all or tightness
in any muscle group, allow it to melt away
with your next cycle of inhales and exhales.
Inhale, let, exhale, go. Let, go. Continue
to observe your thoughts. They may be swirling
about, piling up, jumping around in your head.
It’s all OK. Everything is perfect in this
moment. Nothing can harm you. You are choosing
to be at peace in this moment. You choose
to be here. You choose to be still. You choose
to breathe.
As you go about your day to day, you may encounter
situations or triggers that bring up a feeling
of anxiety or panic. I want you to repeat
this mantra to yourself throughout the day
whenever these feelings arise.
The option is mine in every moment to choose
peace over panic. The option is mine in every
moment to choose peace over panic. The option
is mine in every moment to choose peace over
panic.
Continue with your easy inhales and exhales
for as long as you like. As you observe them
now, observe how much slower and deeper they
have become. You have done the work to make
yourself calmer, more relaxed and more at
peace.
You are in control of your senses. You are
in control of your anxiety. You choose to
be here. You choose to be still. You choose
to breathe and you have chosen peace.
When you feel fully relaxed and ready to go
about your day, you may go ahead and open
your eyes. But for right now, just continue
to breathe and feel at total peace.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t51bOh1mjt0