I love belko61 wrote:
I have breathing issues on a small but real scale. My body is almost always in tension - I think it is because I am usually "on alert" when around people. I don't necessarily "feel" anxious, more like my body reacts without my brains knowledge. I have learned to control it most times but on occasion it is overwhelming. Almost like I am hyperventilating very slowly, and not aware until I have a huge red blotch growing up my neck and my shoulders are raised, and my legs are getting rigid.
It's a chicken and egg thing - either my nostrils narrow limiting my air passages, or the tension caused my nostrils to partially close. I've never figured it out.
I've also noticed when I concentrate too hard for too long my breathing can get very shallow.
So I almost always carry a bottle or Otrivin in my bag for emergencies. It's not good to take it too often so I use it sparingly (if I don't have time to control it slowly, or when it scares me because it's worse than normal).
The alternative to the Otrivin is open mouth breathing for a few minutes, and I usually just distract my brain to make it go away. Shake out my arms and shoulders, sing a few lines of a childhood song (childhood songs distract me quicker because of the memories I guess). Laugh about something. Then I just snap out of it and it clears up within a few minutes.
I read something that it might be a deviated septum but I've never had it checked. (caused by birth, or nose injury like a fall or punch)
I am sorry I missed your post earlier and am just seeing it now. I have two ideas that might possibly relate to you. First, I have been told by a couple of doctors that the hypertonia that I have is an Autism thing and that from their experiences every Autistic patient they have ever had has hypertonia to a degree. Mine just happens to be particularly severe. I have also spoken to several Autistics and Autism parents IRL who also say that they (the Autistics) or their Autistic children are less flexible and more muscularly tense than their nt friends and relatives. So that could explain your muscle tension.
Your hyperviligence could possibly be explained if you are a primal Autistic. I learned about primal Autism through a YouTube video by Carol Bird. I had never heard of that before but when I watched her video the description fit me so well. I don't know more about it than what I learned from her video but I recognized my traits so much in her description that I reccomend you checking it out.
Once I am back near my laptop I will try to put the links in. I can't do it on my phone
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"I'm bad and that's good. I'll never be good and that's not bad. There's no one I'd rather be than me."
Wreck It Ralph