Some people may find relaxation methods helpful when managing anxiety symptoms. But for me, one of them specifically became anxiety-inducing.
Breathe in for 4 seconds. Hold it for 7 seconds. Breathe out for 8 seconds. This is called the 4-7-8 breathing technique. It was developed by Andrew Weil as a tool to help people manage stress and anxiety.
For a while, this was the case for me. The deep breathing exercise helped me to calm myself during panic attacks and bouts of anxiety.
I discovered that steadying my breath distracted me from my spiraling thoughts. It gave me time to relax before I processed whatever was upsetting me at the moment.
But I have obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). For this reason, what once was an effective relaxation technique progressively became a compulsion.
After some time, I developed an almost uncontrollable urge to use the tool whenever I had obsessive thoughts.
How can deep breathing become a compulsion?
A compulsion is a symptom of OCD. It’s an action that you perform to neutralize or relieve stress caused by obsessions.
Obsessions are persistent, unwanted, upsetting, and intrusive thoughts.
I’ve had obsessive thoughts around hurting other people, being hurt, and hurting myself. These aren’t things I want to do or even think about doing — these are thoughts beyond my control. At some point in my life, I was convinced that these thoughts alone would lead to awful things manifesting, from natural disasters to sexual assaults. Many people with OCD believe performing compulsions will prevent something bad from happening, whether it’s a panic attack or an accident. That’s why I engaged in a number of compulsions to soothe these intrusive thoughts, or at least, soothe the distress they caused me.
There are many types of compulsions. Mine have included pacing up and down a room and flexing my wrists. These seemingly random acts usually give me temporary relief. Later, however, my obsessive thoughts will return. I learned the 4-7-8 breathing technique to calm myself when I had spiraling thoughts or during panic attacks. Although the relaxation technique worked initially, I eventually became convinced that I couldn’t relax at all unless I breathed in a specific way. Ultimately, I found myself facing an uncontrollable urge to do it whenever I felt an obsession coming on. I realized it had become an issue when I started timing my breathing using a stopwatch to make sure I was getting the timing exactly right. Also, when I typically felt dizzy from the deep breathing exercise. These were red flags that told me I needed to think critically about whether my go-to relaxation method was actually hurting me. It was difficult to accept that this coping technique, which seems to have helped thousands of people, was simply not for me. I had to wrap my head around the fact that caring for myself included letting go of something that once helped me immensely.
Dealing with compulsions
How does one manage OCD?
The answer varies from person to person, but talk therapy, self-care strategies, and medications are common OCD treatments. One of the most effective OCD treatments is evidence-based exposure and response therapy (ERP). Guided by a therapist, you’re encouraged to allow your obsessions to happen without engaging in the compulsions. This helps you “prove” to yourself that you can manage your obsessions without acting out those compulsions, and that the world will not implode if you don’t take that specific action. Research shows that between 50% and 60%Trusted Source of people with OCD experience an improvement in their symptoms after completing a course of exposure therapy. As you can imagine, ERP can be exceptionally difficult. In the short term, it may worsen anxiety symptoms. About 25% to 30%Trusted Source of people discontinue treatment before experiencing results because of this discomfort and other contributing factors. For me, it took all my self-control and energy to avoid engaging in these compulsions. It was like feeling itchy but resisting the urge to scratch. In my case, ERP involved breathing regularly when the obsessions came along. This was tougher than it sounds. It’s difficult to breathe regularly when you think it’ll worsen your anxiety, especially because anxiety affects your breathing. After many months of working on this, I finally don’t feel the urge to engage in the 4-7-8 breathing technique when I experience an obsession. I’ve decided to stay away from breathing exercises for now. At least until I make better progress in dealing with underlying traumas.
Relaxation techniques are not a one-size-fits-all solution
In the age of the internet, where our attention spans are short, and snappy advice is far more “clickable,” we’re inundated with quick fixes and simple, practical solutions to the issues that plague us.
Often, these pieces of advice are shared as if they’re universal. The truth is that no piece of advice is accessible, applicable, and helpful for everybody. We’re unique, and different methods work for different people. Mentally ill people are often advised to do activities like yoga or to take vitamins — unsolicited advice that’s so common it’s become something of a meme. There’s nothing inherently wrong with yoga or vitamins, but there is something wrong with assuming one solution is a silver bullet for everyone. And, of course, giving unsolicited advice can be harmful in itself. With conditions like OCD or anxiety disorders, these practical solutions are only half the answer. To really, truly address our symptoms, we need to dig deeper and figure out where they’re coming from. In my case, I didn’t need to relax as much as I needed to be honest about past traumas and present coping techniques. That’s scary and difficult. And it’s also hard to access by myself. I needed a therapist to help me through it. But learning a 5-minute breathing technique sounded far easier.
Read the rest of the article on PsychCentral here.
If you are suffering from any types of OCD or Anxiety Disorders, please see our information on OCD Treatment in NYC.
