Cycle of anxiety
- When your child’s brain is not used to them being breathless, it can over analyse their symptoms.
- Your child’s brain interprets a normal (breathlessness) reaction as a threat.
- Anxiety and breathlessness can be linked.
The anxiety cycle:
Threat → Alarm → They feel breathless → They feel their heart is pounding → You and / or your child thinks something is wrong → They feel worse → You and / or your child thinks they are having an asthma attack → You and / or your child think sitting down prevents them from having an asthma attack → Safety
