I would also like the preach the
benefits of deep breathing, only from a
different perspective.
As a person with
severe asthma et al, deep breathing has saved me from many a trip to the hospital, or at least
long nights of albuterol induced
insomnia. Especially when i'm
crying (imagine that, i'm also a
guy), or
hyperventilating. It
helps if you have a
person there (or on the phone) to
coach you through it, bascially just counting your breathing off for you, or breathing
loud enough to be heard over your own
gasps. It gets very hard to
focus on much of anything when the fullest
breath you can get is about an 1/4-1/8 of normal.
Panic is a keyword. It feels like your
mind is numb, and about to
pass out. But either way, it helps
stop the randomness of your breathing, and stabilize your mind