Help! Too focused on breath!

[aly4519]

Hi there, so I've become too focused on the breath. To the point where when I'm trying to be present with something else (like a conversation) all I can do is focus on the breath. I can feel the breath so much that it overwhelms everything else. I'm so frustrated. Please help!

[Peter]

Don't beat yourself up about it, it will only make it worse. Just accept that it is like that for now. It won't be like that forever.

My advice would be to kindly/lightly notice that your focusing on the breath, and to refocus on the conversation.

Peter

[aly4519]

Peter, I will try that. Thanks!


xoxo,
Aly

[Babywhale]

I am having a similar problem, two weeks on to the 8 week programme. I feel a lot of the time as if I'm unable to not control the breath, as if I'm almost on the verge of hyperventilating and on the verge of a panic attack. This is especially the case when lying down and trying to get to sleep.

During the body scan, I cannot seem to just observe the breath. As soon as it comes into my awareness I feel myself altering it (slower, deeper etc) without being able to stop myself. It's getting to the point where I dread the part where it comes to focusing in on the chest and abdomen.

I'll keep going though because it might just be a phase that a beginner goes through.

[Peter]

Glad you brought that up, Babywhale.

I think that's a very common 'problem', and is due to the fact that a lot of the instructions are unclear about this and create false expectations.

A lot of the instructions describe how one should follow the breath without altering it. But that's almost impossible. Very often, especially in the beginning, the breathing is influenced by the fact that one is aware.

A much better instruction would be, to follow the breath, without intentionally altering it.

That's an instruction that anyone should be able to follow, right?

Peter

[Innerchatter]

i used to struggle a little with breathing, I'm asthmatic so it can be easy for me to not get enough oxygen in. I found that id try and regulate my breath and then either breath too much or not enough.

then I discovered the knack to it, just don't do anything with, don't try to breath, and in doing this you soon find that the body starts doing it on its own, what with it being quite important and all that, so just stop trying to breath and watch the body doing it for you. works well....

[NeverSurrender]

Hi All

I am a newbie to Mindfulness too, and am having a similar problem - Especially when trying to do the Body Scan. I am following some guided meditation from an app which I got from the Apple Store.

Anyways my problem is that as soon as I am trying to "Be aware of the top of my head " etc, I soon realise that I am not breathing in as deeply as recommended - by counting from 1 to 3, and then the same again while exhaling.

I am guessing that I should not need to be focusing on my breathing, and just turning my mind inward and focusing on the body parts. I admit that I am struggling with the exercises, as I am currently suffering from Severe Treatment-resistant Depression, which makes it hard to really concentrate on anything - even for a minute or so.

Not sure if it is permitted, but I've been searching for a good beginners book on Mindfulness,or Mindfulness CBT - I think I have narrowed down a few, but if it is permitted any recommendations would be really appreciated.

Thanks

Pete

[JonW]

Finding Peace In A Frantic World by Mark Williams and Danny Penman takes you through the 8-week course. Highly recommended.
Cheers,
Jon

[Babywhale]

I echo the Mark Williams and Danny Penman book too. It's very readable and doesn't over-complicate anything.

My breathing has calmed down over the last 24 hours. It *may* have been attributable to being aware from home at the weekend and in a house where there's a cat. I'm mildly allergic to cats, so it could just be the case that my hypervigilance of breathing was exacerbated by my allergy.

And yes - that's a much better instruction, especially for beginners - "don't intentionally alter the breathing.....and accept that bringing awareness to it might likely result in it changing". In fact, some of the meditations guide you to intentionally take a deeper breath at some points and exhale more slowly.

[NeverSurrender]

Thanks for all your help with this - I have ordered the suggested book, and hope that this will help give me the focus and structure that I think I need!