Why Does My Breathing Feel Worse Since I Started Working On It?

One of the questions I get asked quite often is, “Why does my breathing feel worse since I started working on it?” Clients sometimes tell me that before they came to see me, they hardly thought about their breathing at all, but now they notice every sigh, every breath hold, the movement of their chest or the feeling that their breathing has changed. Then comes the question, “Am I overthinking it?”

Usually, my answer is no. You probably haven't made your breathing worse. You have become more aware of it.

Breathing is something we do automatically, so most of us don't give it much thought. We can develop a breathing pattern that isn't as functional as it could be without realising it, because it has gradually become our normal. Stress, illness, pain, anxiety, exercise and other physical factors can all influence the way we breathe, and sometimes those changes stick around long after the original trigger has passed.

There are also people who may have had a breathing dysfunction for years without ever thinking of themselves as having a breathing problem. Someone with asthma may only notice their breathing when they are having an asthma attack or feeling breathless. Someone who snores or mouth breathes may never have considered how they are breathing during sleep. Someone else may only notice their breathing when exercising, walking uphill or feeling stressed. The breathing is there all the time, but because it is automatic, we don't necessarily pay attention to how we are doing it.

Then we start looking at it.

Suddenly, you notice things that you hadn't noticed before. You realise that your shoulders lift when you breathe, that you are breathing through your mouth, that you sigh regularly or that you hold your breath when you're concentrating. You may notice that your breathing changes when you are stressed or that you have been using more effort than you need to. It can feel as though your breathing has suddenly become worse, when actually what has changed is your awareness of it.

This is an important part of functional breathing work because awareness comes before change. We can't change a pattern we don't know is there, but once we start paying attention, those sensations can temporarily feel much more noticeable. You might become aware of air hunger, an urge to sigh or simply a feeling that your breathing isn't as natural as it used to be. That doesn't necessarily mean the problem has become worse. Your attention has simply moved towards something that was previously happening in the background.

This is the point where I want you to slow down and take the pressure off. Once we realise that our breathing isn't functioning as well as it could, it is very easy to start trying to control every breath and make it “right”. Instead, we want to gently remind the body what comfortable, efficient breathing feels like. Depending on the individual, that might include nasal breathing, reducing unnecessary breathing volume, allowing the diaphragm and lower ribs to move naturally, releasing tension around the chest, shoulders, neck and jaw, and gradually building tolerance to carbon dioxide.

The aim isn't to force the breath into a perfect pattern. It is to give the body repeated opportunities to experience a quieter, lighter and more comfortable way of breathing, so that over time it starts to become familiar again.

This is also why I don't want you thinking about your breathing all day. There is a stage where awareness is incredibly useful because it allows us to recognise the pattern, but eventually we want to let the body take over again. We practise enough for the new pattern to become more familiar, and then it can gradually become part of your everyday breathing without needing your constant attention.

You may therefore go through a stage where you are more aware of your breathing before you become less aware of it. It can feel like a backwards step, but often it is simply part of the process. You are noticing something that was previously automatic, learning what it is doing and giving your body the opportunity to find a more functional pattern.

And you don't necessarily need to spend hours practising to see a difference. The whole point of functional breathing is that it becomes part of everyday life. A little focused practice can help, but what matters is beginning to notice your breathing during the things you already do: sitting at your desk, walking, exercising, concentrating, talking or feeling stressed. Gradually, the body starts to remember the pattern without you having to consciously work at it.

So, if your breathing feels more noticeable since you started working on it, don't automatically assume that you've made it worse or that you're overthinking it. You may simply have moved from unconscious awareness to conscious awareness, and that can be an important stage in changing an established breathing pattern.

Stay curious, keep it gentle and give your body time to adapt. The goal isn't to think about your breathing all day. It is to help your body find a more efficient, comfortable way of breathing that eventually feels so natural that you barely notice it again.

And for me, that's the real goal of functional breathing: to help you breathe well without having to think about breathing at all.

Mel

P.S. Change your breath, Change your life