Breathe

[alchemist]

Doctors told me this when I was fainting from not breathing after panic but, they never showed me how to breathe deeply.  One must understand what deep breathing in order to understand it-they saw  the way I breathed(or didn't) shallowly from the top of my chest. 
Breathing brings me into the present moment and allows me to ascertain what my Inner Little One's fear is, assess the situation and take appropriate protective and nurturing action for My immediate happiness and well being.  My Inner Child is myself at a different time in my life.  There is no difference between her and me except that at that time I had no  one to go to Now I am a confident, highly competent adult who can soothe myself at those times I was terrified as a beautiful little girl. I feel highly satisfied that I can tell myself that the abuser was so jealous because everyone loved me, all my friends and their parents, the neighbors, my sisters' friends, especially my father and all my successful relatives and that is why she hit me and terrorized me telling me I was all the things she was an awkward person with no friends and no conscience and no looks.

[Elphanigh]

I am glad breathing has helped you calm the little you. It has helped me too. It does help if you can bring your breathing lower into your abdomen, but whatever is working for you is great.

Look up Nadi Shodhana, fancy name but it is a really simple technique that has helped me so very much.  You deserve all the peace in the world, as does little you. I hope you can find some help here

[Wife#2]

I am guilty of reminding people to breathe, forgetting that true breathing, deep and healing breathing, is a skill.

I am also a shallow breather most of the time. So much so that, the few times Mom noticed me sleeping, she would panic to see if I was breathing at all.

One of the wonderful members of this forum gave a great lesson, one I've carried home to help me and my son, is to breathe in slowly for 3-4 seconds, then breathe out slowly for 5-6 seconds, always a couple of seconds longer on the exhale. This is a soothing, calming technique I am using and teaching now.

It is odd that we did not get these lessons in childhood as we ought. Still, it's good to know them now!