The Importance of The Breath: Dealing With Panic Attacks

When we are first born into this world, we take our first breathe as an infant and when we leave this world, we take our last breath. As we navigate through our busy life as an adult, we easily forget how important the breath is to our body and our wellbeing. 

The importance of the breath is emphasized in many sports, martial arts, yoga, and meditations. In many of these sports and martial arts it is used to enhance performance and to defend the body from blows. The use of the breath is a tool in which we can use to alter our physiology or to connect with our higher self. It has many purposes depending on the wielder of the breath and how they want to use it.  

For many who suffer from anxiety, panic, or fear the breath is a great tool to help you reconnect and ground yourself back into the body.  Slowing the breath down allows your body to tune in and it sends a signal to your body that you are in a safe and relaxed state.  This allows your body to shift from your sympathetic system to parasympathetic system. Putting oxygen into your body invigorates all the cells in your body and it allows for you to change the way you feel.  When someone feels the sense of panic it is easy to feel the lack of control you have over your body as the body thinks that you are in danger. When you use the breath to shift to the parasympathetic system the function of your nervous system is now different as your body no longer operates in survival. Choose your breath wisely and become aware of your breath. It is okay to slow down and take a deep breathe.