Hint: you’ve already done it twice whilst reading this title

As CFS sufferer you probably feel tired, exhausted and foggy headed. You desperately want more energy to get through your day without feeling like someone has pulled the plug on your battery.

You’re looking for small, simple changes to help you feel more energised.

The good news is that small changes make a real difference; as the saying goes ‘every little helps’.

In this blog, you will discover how shallow breathing could be making your fatigue worse, and importantly, how to boost your energy levels through your breathing.

Are you breathing properly?

You're probably thinking, “what a strange question, Melisa”.

It’s likely that you haven’t given your breathing any thought. Why should you, it happens automatically!

I thought that way too until I went on a yoga workshop that highlighted just how important the breath really is. It was a revelation. I didn’t realise you could have unhelpful breathing patterns that could cause you to feel tired and anxious.

I looked at how I was breathing and made some subtle changes and was amazed that it DID make a difference to my energy levels.

The equally good news is that it is completely FREE!

How stress and anxiety change your breathing - and make you feel worse.

It’s important to stress that if you have concerns about your breathing or you are struggling for breath, you should see your doctor to get it checked out and receive their support and guidance.

However, if you are not aware of any problems, but are wondering if the way you breathe could be a factor in your tiredness, let’s take a look at some of the potential reasons you may not be breathing properly.

Stress

Yes, stress raises its ugly head again. When we are stressed, our body responds with rapid breathing, in the upper part of the chest, known as shallow breathing . Our body is preparing itself to either fight or flee, but in our modern western world we are unlikely to be facing this type of danger in our home or workplace.

Yet our body continues to respond in this way to perceived dangers, even when they are not remotely life threatening.

To illustrate this, can you think of a time when you were surprised or alarmed at an unexpected twist or cliff hanger moment in a TV programme or film, you may have noticed that you gasped or held your breathe unconsciously? Unfortunately when we are alarmed, concerned or worried about things in our life, our body reacts in the same way, but we may not notice.

If we experience chronic stress our body can get used to breathing in this shallow way, so the pattern can become habitual.

Shallow breathing and the stress response

To make matters worse, the way we breathe sends messages to our brain as to whether we may be in danger. So, when we are breathing rapidly, our brain believes we may be in danger and triggers the fight or flight response and we experience the symptoms of stress, including feelings of anxiety.

This in an unhelpful pattern to be in.

Anxiety:

You can probably remember occasions where you were feeling anxious or nervous – just before a presentation at work, before an exam or waiting in the dentist’s waiting room! You may have noticed that you were breathing more rapidly and in shorter breaths too.

Anxiety can leave us breathing more shallowly, which means that if we are anxiety about our health and recovery or other things in our life, we can get into a pattern of shallow breathing.

Why breathing properly is so important if you suffer with CFS.

We’ve looked at how shallow breathing is a problem if you experience stress and anxiety, but unfortunately shallow breathing can contribute to fatigue and a pain in the neck and shoulders. Here’s how:

Fatigue

Shallow breathing could mean that you are limiting the oxygen coming into your lungs which in turn means you are not getting the optimum amount of oxygen into your body’s cells. Your cells need oxygen to produce energy, so if it’s limited, this could be contributing to the fatigue you are experiencing.

Aches and pains

Shallow breathing relies on the muscles of the neck, shoulders and chest working hard to support breathing. This could contribute to tight and painful shoulder and neck muscles – a pain in the neck!

Is this a problem for you?

Photo by Max van den Oetelaar on Unsplash

How can I tell if I am not breathing properly?

The easy way I was shown at the yoga workshop and in my mindfulness training, is to sit in a chair, with your feet uncrossed and firmly on the ground or lying down with your head supported by a cushion and place 1 hand on your belly and 1 hand on your chest.

As you breathe in and breathe out, notice how your hands move with your breathe. If the hand on your abdomen/belly is not rising and falling, it means you are breathing in a way called shallow breathing. This means you are breathing predominantly in the chest area of your body and just filling the top part of your lungs with air.

Don’t panic, this is very common, many people do not use their lungs full capacity. As I found out, when you realise you are not breathing properly, you can do something about it.

So, what can I do?

As I said, don’t panic or worry, it is possible to change your breathing patterns, I believe awareness is key to making the change.

When you are aware of how your body and breathe respond to how you are feeling, you can check in with yourself and change the way you are breathing.

5 ways to help you take a full (and not just a half) breath.

1. Observe and check in

You now know how to check how you are breathing. So, when you are feeling irritated, anxious, angry or stressed, you could use the same technique to observe how you are breathing.

You could also periodically check in with yourself, asking yourself – how am I feeling at this moment and observing your breath.

2. STOP

When you notice yourself feeling stressed, anxious, nervous or are in a difficult scenario, just stop for a moment, if this is possible, and stand or sit and just let yourself breathe.

Take a few deep breaths and notice the difference. Stopping and breathing allows you to think clearly about the situation or what you are feeling and perhaps you will then feel more in control of the situation.

As deep breathing activates the rest and digest response, your brain has recognised that the danger has passed and you should feel calmer and more clear headed.

3. Stomach breathing

Practice stomach breathing and feel the difference.

Place your hands on your stomach and take a deep breath and imagine the breath travelling down to your stomach.

Feel your hand rise as you breathe into your stomach.

Breathe out and imagine the breath travelling back up through the body and out of your nose. You will feel your stomach flatten.

Practice this for a few minutes and notice how you feel. Do you feel calmer? More energised?

Use could use this exercise when you notice yourself feeling anxious or stressed.

You could also build some stomach breathing practice into your day – before you get out of bed in the morning or when you are waiting for the kettle to boil.

Do what you feel will work best for you.

4. Breathing Practices:

There are lots of breathing practices that will help you to become more aware of your breath and help you to breathe more deeply.

A simple but effective breathing exercise is counting the breath.

Start to be aware of how you are breathing, some breaths may be longer than others.

Continue breathing in and out observing your rhythm and try not to judge yourself.

Then start to count the breath.

Breathe in for 1 and breathe out on the count of 1

Breathe in for the count of 2 and breathe out for the count of 2.

Breathe in for the count of 3 and breathe out for the count of 3.

Breathe in for the count of 4 and breathe out for the count of 4.

Complete a couple of rounds and then breathe normally. Please remember to count only as many times as you feel comfortable with.

This exercise should leave you feeling calmer and a little more energised.

5. Mindfulness Practice

The breath is the cornerstone of Mindfulness practice. By focusing on the breath, you can be aware of the present and not worry about the past or future. You can read more about how mindfulness can help with your CFS recovery in my blog.

Here’s a quick mindfulness of breath practice.

Simply observe the rise and fall of your breath as you breathe naturally. There’s no need to change it in any way. As you pay attention to your breath, you may notice that it starts to slow, and you may feel calmer too.

The benefits of being Mindful of your breath and breathing fully

Breathing fully is so important to improving your overall health and wellbeing and can support your CFS recovery.

My top tips for better breathing are:

Be mindful of your breath and when you catch yourself breathing shallowly, pause and take a few deep breaths.
Start the day with a breathing practice. It can help to calm and ground you for the day.
If you feel anxious or stressed, check your breathing. Stomach or deep breathing can help to calm stress and anxiety.

This has all been backed up by Scientific research. Studies have demonstrated that breathing exercises are effective in relieving stress and anxiety.

In summary

Learning to use our breath to our advantage can potentially help to reduce stress, tension, anxiety and leave us feeling more energised and present in our lives.
The great news is that this is absolutely FREE and available to EVERYONE.

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Looking for some help?

I’ve been there and experienced and recovered from chronic fatigue. My journey back to health showed me that it is not just 1 thing that can help you to start to feel more like you again, but a combination of support and practices such as breathing, emotional support practices as well as a nutritious food and healing herbal medicine.

I am now passionate about helping women on their CFS recovery journey, so they can be their best self once again.

Get in touch if you’d like to explore how I can help you feel like you again.