Diaphragmatic breathing is also known as abdominal or belly breathing. I picked this to follow the progressive relaxation post since they tend to go hand in hand. I started doing this prior to progressive relaxation and felt that it was very helpful. A person who is experiencing a panic attack will most likely fail to breathe properly. This is why many people report feeling lightheaded during a panic attack. Because of this, it’s important to practice slowing your breathing down.
Diaphragmatic breathing is simple. Take nice, slow, deep breaths but rather than inhaling and seeing your chest rise, take a nice deep breath and try to see if you can get your stomach to rise. It feels a bit odd at first, but you’ll get the hang of it. Inhale fully, pause at the top, then slowly exhale.
My recommendation: Just like progressive relaxation, try to shoot for twice a day but maybe only for 5 minutes. Get into a comfortable position lying down, close your eyes and place one hand on your chest and one hand on your stomach. Placing your hands on the chest and stomach allow you to get a better feel of how you’re breathing. Does the hand on your chest seem to be rising higher than the one on your stomach? Try to make the hand on your belly rise while keeping the hand on your chest still. Again, it’s a little odd at first, but by the end of even your first 5 minutes you’ll start to get the hang of it. I, personally, would try to do this along with the progressive relaxation.
Everybody rushes these days so it’s important that you take the time to slow down. Ten minutes of progressive relaxation and 5 minutes of belly breathing twice a day is only 30 minutes out of your day. Find the time to take care of YOURSELF!!!!
The Life of a DPT Student 