Can Breathwork Improve ADHD Emotional Dysregulation, Improve Your Mental Health and Even Stop a Panic Attack in its Tracks?
If you’ve ever had a panic attack, you already know how overwhelming and scary it can feel. Breathlessness, dizziness and an uncontrollable fear that you might die is a truly awful feeling. If you have been lucky enough not to experience this, stay with me because this post may help you or someone you know who suffers from it in the future. I also speak about how breathwork can help ADHD symptoms and positively affect your mental health.
Panic attacks are one of the most debilitating reactions to situations; you are rendered powerless, full of uncertainty about when it will end, and that’s if you have enough confidence you aren't actually having a heart attack.
In my experience, they don't happen out of anywhere - they are usually triggered by underlying stress, subconscious fears or physical factors. This is why learning how to regulate your nervous system is so important - it can limit the severity of a panic attack and prevent your body from getting into a state where it’s at the edge of coping when things get too much or you find yourself in a situation that triggers stress in the body. I've written about a number of different techniques to help you regulate across multiple posts to give you the tools you need to remain calm and support yourself in moments of difficulty, starting with an amazing breathwork technique.
In this post, I’ll cover:
What happens to your body when you do breathwork
WHAT HAPPENS TO YOUR BODY WHEN YOU DO BREATHWORK
Breathwork allows you to regulate your nervous system and can work wonders for managing ADHD and mental health symptoms (anxiety and stress). It balances your sympathetic (fight or flight response) and parasympathetic system (rest and digest response). For those with ADHD and mental health conditions like anxiety, depression or stress, it’s common for our fight or flight to be working in overdrive, which can exasperate other symptoms and sometimes lead to panic attacks.
Fight or flight
When triggered (especially during a panic attack), the sympathetic system increases your heart rate, releases adrenaline, and shallows your breathing, which can cause sweating, nausea and dizziness, all physical symptoms of a panic attack. It can be triggered by high levels of stress, anxiety and an overactive emotional response to triggers.
Rest and Digest
The parasympathetic system decreases your heart rate, regulates your breathing, limits the amount of adrenaline your body releases in high-stress situations, relaxes your muscles and promotes overall regulation, helping you stay calm and manage yourself.
When we become overstimulated, stressed, and feel out of control in high-stress situations, it can exasperate symptoms of impulsivity and hyperactivity, make focusing harder, and make it difficult to manage our emotional responses and reactions. These are the same Executive Functions ADHDers already struggle with daily (read more about executive functioning here).
Regulating your nervous system through breathwork helps you balance your natural response to stress by activating rest and digest while keeping your fight-or-flight response under control. I have found daily breathwork hugely beneficial—I can focus much better and feel my emotions are most muted. Regulated nervous systems also support critical thinking and problem-solving skills as executive functioning is improved.
SO WHAT ARE THE OTHER BENEFITS OF DOING BREATHWORK?
I want to preface this by saying that learning to regulate your nervous system takes a little time, patience (with ourselves) and consistency. However, the benefits are well worth it, and there will be positive knock-on effects in your daily life and career. Other benefits include:
Improved Focus:
A common ADHD challenge is narrowing focus and sustaining focus; however, this is increasingly difficult for everybody, as we are eroding this skill with smartphones and other technology. Breathwork can help you reset your focus by reducing overstimulation and relaxing the body and mind.
Less Emotional Dysregulation:
ADHD, anxiety and stress are often accompanied by emotional dysregulation, which can cause agitation and create an intense emotional response to everyday situations (for me, it can feel overwhelming, a bit like an emotional rollercoaster that I can't get off). By calming the nervous system, we can teach ourselves to listen to our feelings, regulate our moods, and limit bodily responses to high-stress situations.
An Overall Reduction in Anxiety and Stress:
Anxiety and stress are deeply connected to our nervous system. High stress can lead to anxious thoughts and hypervigilance that can wear us down over time, leading to fatigue and burnout, undermining our resilience and overall mental health.
Improved Overall Executive Functioning
Neurodivergent people and ADHDers have impaired executive functioning (by up to 30%) compared to neurotypical people. Their ability to shift between tasks, retain and adapt to new information, and manage emotional responses is more complex and can make daily life quite frustrating (to say the least). Improved Executive Functioning looks like easier task activation (starting tasks), feeling that tasks and focus are less effortful, well-balanced energy levels, improved memory, and better management of tasks and actions.
SO, HOW CAN BREATHWORK STOP PANIC ATTACKS?
Breathwork tools, like the 4-7-8 breathing technique I share below, are quick, easy-to-learn and totally accessible for you to use at any moment (I have definitely used this one many times whilst driving the car or taking the kids to the supermarket). They allow you to slow down your racing thoughts and regulate your heart rate so your mind and body can relax. They are an excellent tool for preventing panic from escalating, but you do need to monitor your body and catch yourself as soon as you realise the panic is rising.
Hyperventilating (shallow breathing) during a panic attack decreases carbon dioxide levels in the blood. This often causes dizziness, tingling in hands and feet, and shortness of breath, which increases feelings of fear. Controlled breathing techniques involving deep and slow breaths counteract hyperventilation by reducing oxygen levels in the brain and stabilising oxygen/CO2 levels.
Now that you know why regulation is important and how breathwork can help, here's how to do it - the 4-7-8 breath is one of my favourite breathing techniques. I use it daily and always recommend it to my ADHD career coaching clients to allow them to take regular pauses in their day and self-regulate. Follow the instructions below and see how it feels for you:
HOW TO DO THE 4-7-8 BREATHWORK TECHNIQUE
This technique, created by Dr. Andrew Weil, is quick and easy. You can use it anywhere, anytime, whether you’re feeling anxious, on the verge of a panic attack, or as part of your morning routine. It’s really easy to do, and for best results, Dr Well suggests you do it daily for 2 minutes or four whole breaths.
Here it is step-by-step to 4-7-8:
Step One: Close your eyes and exhale completely through your mouth, releasing tension in your mind and body.
Step Two: Inhale through your nose, counting to 4 and allow the breath to fill your lungs.
Step Three: Hold your breath and count to 7, still with your eyes closed and give yourself a moment of stillness.
Step Four: Exhale fully through your mouth and count to 8 as you feel your body soften and your mind quiet
Step Five: Repeat until you feel calm, relaxed, and in control, or for 2 minutes, depending on your needs.
With a combination of long-term strategies like mindfulness, journaling (follow the link here to download a free journaling template for regulation), EFT or EMDR therapy and small and steady changes to your lifestyle, you will see a huge difference - happy regulating!
As an ADHD and Career Coach, I often support my clients with regulation, helping them balance daily stressors in their work life that can take their toll, whether they’re vying for a promotion, struggling with career growth or managing their ADHD symptoms in the workplace.
If you’d like support with your Career or ADHD symptoms, please book a free consultation with me here. In the meantime, give this technique a try. It does make a difference - I promise!
Warm wishes
Nat x
ABOUT CAREER COACH NAT HARRISON OF AYAMA COACHING
Hi, I am Nat. I help people become more fulfilled and happy in their working lives by aligning their careers or businesses with their skills, values, and interests and helping them overcome barriers to making the desired change.
I am also a trained ADHD coach. I work with neurodivergent people who want to harness their brains for the better and improve their relationships with themselves.
Book a FREE consultation below if you would benefit from some coaching on your work life.
Comments