Anxiety Symptoms - AIR HUNGER (Episode 129)
In this episode of Disordered, Drew and Josh tackle one of the most frightening anxiety symptoms: air hunger - that terrifying feeling that you can't get a deep enough breath or fully fill your lungs.
Drew and Josh draw from both their clinical expertise and personal recovery experiences to explain why this sensation happens, why trying to "fix" your breathing often makes things worse, and how the compulsive need to control your breath can actually create the problem you're trying to solve.
They explore how air hunger connects to stress, anxiety disorders, and OCD, discussing why breathing techniques and breath work - while potentially helpful for general stress - can become problematic compulsions when you're dealing with disordered anxiety. The hosts emphasize a key principle: there's a critical difference between feeling like you can't breathe and actually not being able to breathe.
The episode includes inspiring "Did It Anyway" stories from listeners who faced their fears - from pushing through panic during a music gig, to driving 40 minutes despite intense anxiety, to confronting her OCD fears, and a transformation from being unable to stay in a room alone to enjoying solo time at home.
Drew and Josh offer practical guidance rooted in acceptance-based approaches: get out of your own way, let your body regulate itself naturally, and resist the urge to constantly check, control, or perfect your breathing. As they remind listeners, your body has successfully kept you breathing your entire life - it doesn't need micromanagement now.
Topics covered:
- What air hunger is and why it happens
- The connection between stress, anxiety, and breathing sensations
- Why breathing techniques can become compulsions
- The role of interoceptive exposure in treatment
- How to respond when you notice air hunger (hint: not by trying to control it)
- Why sleep proves your body knows how to breathe on its own
Whether you're experiencing air hunger yourself or supporting someone who is, this episode offers a compassionate, reality-based approach to one of anxiety's most unsettling symptoms.
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