Anxiety, allergies or asthma?

The ability to breathe is a gift. Wake up grateful each day for that gift.

~ Johnny Lung

At a CPR course for fitness professionals, the instructor asked roughly 30 young people how many suffered from anxiety or panic attacks. About half raised their hands. The same hands seemed to go up when asked about allergies and asthma.

I've written about breath in the past here.

Struggling to breathe can be scary.

The fear and panic from exercise and stress-induced asthma attacks are palpable.

Somehow this spring the prevalence of anxiety and panic attacks, along with congestion and difficulty breathing, seems epidemic.

Could the inability to breathe be triggering the fear of death? Rather than anxiety medications which can be incredibly addictive and have countless side effects, should we not consider a history of asthma or the possibility of allergies? Allergies can arise anytime throughout life.

Why might we be suffering more?

With social distancing and lockdowns to reduce exposure to infection, our immune systems may have been under-utilized over the past couple of years.

Excessive hygiene with unprecedented mask and hand sanitizer use is not without consequence.

When the immune system is not challenged, it overreacts to pollens and otherwise manageable environmental pollutant exposures.

Fear and stress breach barriers and increase vulnerability. But barriers can be repaired.

What to do

To activate the relaxation response we have to get out of our heads and into our bodies.

When panic strikes let it be a cue to focus on the body.

Focus on the breath. Slow it down. (Learn about the Buteyko method.)

Do a body scan to assess where the tension is embodied.

Are the sinuses congested? The mucous build-up is a way to protect breached barriers.

Is the chest feeling tight?

How about the arms and legs - are they warm with increased blood flow?

The body may be ready to fight, freeze or flee. It’s trying to protect you. Letting go of the fear will reduce the embodied tension over time.

Repeating the following affirmations may help.

I am safe.

I am at peace.

I am powerful beyond belief.

I can heal myself.

Breathe. Believe. Receive. ~ Author Unknown