Guide · body · 3 min read
When to be careful with breathing exercises — the long answer, briefly, when you want to be left alone
Breathing exercises are generally very safe, but there are situations where the standard advice needs adjusting.
Start here
The order matters less than doing the first one tonight. Start there and come back to the rest.
Nothing here asks anything of you socially.
If you only do one thing from this page, do the first point below. It is first because it removes the most friction for the least effort.
What helps
Do not do forceful breathing exercises while driving, swimming or operating machinery.
If you have asthma, keep your inhaler nearby and do not use exercises that involve long exhales through pursed lips during an attack.
If breathing exercises consistently make you feel worse, stop. They are a tool, not a moral obligation.
What to do when it does not work
Stop if you feel dizzy, tingly or lightheaded. Those symptoms usually mean you are breathing too fast or too deeply, not that you are doing it well.
Skip breath holds if you are pregnant, or if you have a heart, blood pressure or lung condition. Slow breathing without holds is usually fine, but ask a doctor first.
Panic attacks and breath holds are a bad combination. Holds can trigger the sensation of suffocation that panic is already producing.
Questions people ask
Is deep breathing always good?
No. Over-breathing is what causes the dizziness many people associate with "deep breathing". Slow and quiet is usually better than deep.
Written for people who want the practical version. No accounts, no tracking, no newsletter wall.
If this is not the angle you need, try Waking up anxious for no obvious reason, in the order that helps, when the day has been loud, Preparing for a conversation you are dreading, for people who have tried everything, when you are not in the mood or What to do when you wake at 3am, in the order that helps, when you are cold and want to be warm.