It may sound a little strange, but just learning to breathe properly will help you to overcome fears. One particular fear a few people have is when they are about to drive over a bridge. This condition is called gephyrophobia (an anxiety disorder caused by the fear of driving over bridges). However, no matter what one's fear is, everyone experiences an inability to breathe in a normal way. They also feel unable to take deep breaths because they feel their throat and chest tightening up. Eventually, they try to gasp and gulp for air with the fear of suffocating. This can become so severe that they feel as if they are having a lung disorder or a heart attack.

Despite all of these uncomfortable manifestations, try your best to keep calm and trust in the fact that such feelings are not physically dangerous or lethal. Believe it or not, the body can be appropriately trained to utilize correct breathing techniques using methods that are simple and easy to follow.

Usually when one gets a panic attack, over-breathing occurs. This is also called hyperventilating. This is because the body is taking in more carbon dioxide than necessary. Whenever you sweat uncontrollably, have difficulty swallowing, experience heartburn, feel a tingling sensation and numbness in your extremities, feel your muscles shaking, have chest pains and vision disturbances and feel your heart racing, you are definitely hyperventilating.

Fortunately, you can easily do diaphragmatic breathing in order to overcome fears. Diaphragmatic or controlled breathing is one of the most effective methods that will help end anxiety attacks or panic attacks, especially when experiencing fear. Usually those who have feelings of general anxiety breathe from their thoracic, or chest, and not through the stomach.

Do you breathe from your stomach or chest? In order to know if you are breathing properly, place your hand on your stomach while your other hand should be on your chest (just over your breastbone). Then try to notice which hand is falling and rising. If the hand on your chest is mostly moving, you are definitely not breathing from the diaphragm and need to train your body to breathe this way. You also need to train your body to breathe from the lower lungs.

However, if it is only the hand on your stomach that is moving, you are most likely breathing properly. But always be sure to pay attention to the way you breathe, especially during times when you feel anxious. This is so you can maintain your normal breathing pattern. Do note that there are people who do not want to believe that they are breathing in an incorrect manner.

All you have to do is observe how a dog or a baby breathes. See how they breathe in a very relaxed manner as their bellies move up and down while their chest stays perfectly still. Remember that this is the way mother nature intends for us to breathe and doing so hopefully will help you overcome fears.

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