Everyone faces some level of stress during their day to day life, stress is just a part of life. However, when diagnosed with a chronic lung disease like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the effects of stress on the body are worsened. Due to breathlessness, fatigue, the development of a lung infection, or the rise of new or worsening symptoms as the results of an exacerbation (flare up). COPD patients have more than 3 times the odds of developing generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) than someone without COPD.
It is absolutely normal to experience feelings of stress and anxiety when faced with these symptoms daily, but it’s important how you handle and cope with those feelings that can change your disease outlook for the better or worse. But first, you must fully understand the underlying causes of your stress and anxiety (stressors) before you can begin using the stress reducing tips we will discuss below.
Has stress and anxiety taken over your life, worsening the impact of COPD and preventing you from doing many of the things you once enjoyed? If so, you’ve come to the right place. Today we will discuss 17 stress management techniques that you can use at home to actionably improve your quality of life with COPD.
When constant levels of high stress (chronic stress) and anxiety are thrown into the mix with COPD, even your best management efforts can be subsided. Stress weakens your already impaired immune system, leaving you more susceptible to symptom worsening infections. Additionally, stress levels can also enhance the severity of your shortness of breath and leave you at an increased risk for COPD worsening flare ups.
Leaving chronic stress untreated can lead to an endless cycle of anxiety. Causing your heart rate to increase, forcing you to take rapid breaths that only further worsen the severity of shortness of breath.
When first beginning to treat or reduce your stress levels, you must first find the root cause(s) of your chronic stress, which are referred to as personal stressors:
The first step in treating and preventing chronic stress is to look at the 4 categories above and recognize what causes stress in your life. Be sure to take note and write down all of your COPD stressors, as this will help you in the long term. This would be a great time to start writing your panic diary, more on that later on.
Keep these stress reactions in mind, as we will refer to them frequently throught this post.
Whether you’ve recently been diagnosed or have stage 4 COPD, it’s very clear that the main symptom of COPD is breathlessness (shortness of breath). This is where the endless anxiety-breathlessness cycle begins. As the presence of even the slightest shortness of breath can cause your anxiety levels to skyrocket or even induce panic attacks.
Feelings of anxiety then cause your breathing rate to increase, adding to the severity of your shortness of breath, which then causes you to become anxious.
Starting to get the picture of how closely intertwined anxiety and COPD are? To help, lets break down the anxiety-breathlessness cycle:
Steps to Break the Anxiety-Breathlessness Cycle:
Animal assisted therapy, also known as pet therapy, uses our favorite 4 legged furry friends to provide a therapeutic treatment for patients with COPD that experience frequent levels of stress and anxiety. Having the support of a pet can help boost your spirits and provide you with a source of joy. Additionally, providing you with a sense of importance knowing your support animal is dependent on you.
Pet therapy is already widely used to treat people with high anxiety disorders such as post traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD).
Any physical activity is beneficial for COPD, however, yoga provides more than just improved respiratory function and fitness. This low-impact, mind-body form of exercise is also extremely efficient at reducing stress and anxiety caused by your chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
What makes yoga an effective and COPD friendly method of exercise is its precise focus on physical posture and breathing techniques. The physical postures practiced in varying yoga poses can help increase your body’s range of motion, flexibility, balance, and overall strength.
What’s more, the focus on the diaphragmatic breathing technique will help you take control of your breathing while also teaching you how to use the power of your lungs to their fullest extent. Breathing techniques such as diaphragmatic breathing are used as you hold a pose and in a standalone practice.
By taking control of your breathing through yoga you will prevent the occurrence of the endless anxiety-breathlessness cycle. Furthermore, helping you to better manage stress levels. Allowing you to experience feelings of satisfaction despite the personal or disease complications you are experiencing.
Below are 5 COPD friendly yoga poses that you can do at home to help manage stress and anxiety:
Tai Chi is another excellent form of meditation combined with light exercise that can help reduce chronic stress levels and can even be used to ease your COPD flare up. This mind-body exercise is a Chinese tradition that combines a series of slow and light movements with deep breathing techniques.
Resulting in a seamless motion that induces minimal muscle and respiratory strain. Furthermore, these movements cause your soft tissue to stretch allowing them to release built-up tension in your body. Providing you with feelings of calmness and pure relaxation. Tai Chi can also improve your exercise capacity, helping to increase energy levels, alleviate feelings of breathlessness, and enhancing your overall outlook on life.
You may already be aware of the incredible and many benefits that exercise provides for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. But have you ever thought of exercise as a stress reliever?
If not, we’re here to tell you that exercise is one of the most effective methods of stress relief. Exercise also provides additional benefits that include strengthening respiratory muscles, improvements in sleep and lifestyle quality, reduced fatigue, and weight management.
While being active a chemical known as serotonin is released by your brain. The increased levels of this feel good endorphin makes you feel happier, while providing you with a sense of satisfaction. Furthermore, exercise burns up stress causing chemicals such as adrenaline and cortisol, enabling you to relax and unwind with greater ease.
Be sure to use the pursed lip breathing technique during physical activity to better control your breathing and reduce the chances of a symptom worsening exacerbation.
The most effective support system are friends and family, after all they care about your well being and will usually go the extra mile to help you in any way possible. All you have to do is ask. When stress or anxiety levels are heightened, ask a friend or family member if they can come over to talk. If that’s not possible due to living arrangements, at the minimum ask them to talk on the phone or video chat.
By talking to family or friends that you are comfortable with, you will be more likely to open up and express what is truly bothering you. Talking, laughing, crying, or expressing anger to someone you are close with is a healthy and effective way to deal with stress.
Before we go into stress reducing breathing exercises, it’s important for us to bring up pursed lip breathing and diaphragmatic breathing.
As both can be applied during the onset of shortness of breath to help regulate your breathing patterns, and can be used in combination with many of the stress reducing techniques discussed for greater effectiveness. Lets briefly discuss how to properly perform these must know breathing techniques:
While performing diaphragmatic breathing, ensure that the hand on your stomach is only moving while inhaling. It’s important that you practice to keep your chest as still as possible and to only use your stomach to breathe.
You should now be well aware of the negative effects stress has on your COPD, specifically how it is a leading cause of flare-ups. Chronic stress levels can cause your shortness of breath and cough to worsen. Something you want to be sure to avoid, but how? By trying one of the following deep breathing exercises.
If you are experiencing high levels of stress or anxiety, take a step back and give yourself some time to perform the Simple Breathing Exercise:
The 4-7-8 breathing technique is possibly the easiest of all 3, due to the fact that there is no equipment required and you can do it wherever you are. It’s now time for you to apply the 4-7-8 technique for your stress reduction needs. This stress relief technique can be done in any position but is most effective with a straight back:
Dr. Andrew Weil demonstrates how to properly perform the 4-7-8 breathing exercise:
For the third and final stress reducing breathing exercise, we’d like to introduce the bellows breath, which is also referred to as the stimulating breath. Originating from ancient yogi practice, Bellows Breath is not only an effective stress reliever but it can also magnify your overall vitality level.
Practice bellows breathing by following the steps below:
In order to enjoy the full benefits of bellows breathing, you must pay precise attention to the rhythm of your breathing while inhaling and exhaling.
Practice until you are able to have a seamless and in sync rhythm. After continuous practice, your goal should be to increase the intervals by 1 minute each week until you have reached your personal limit.
Dr. Weil demonstrates the stimulating breath exercise:
The purpose of progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) is to teach you how to let go of the tension affecting your body to provided you with a total sense of relaxation. This is done by progressively constricting and releasing various muscle groups throughout your body to help calm your anxious mind.
Follow the steps below to properly perform progressive muscle relaxation:
At the conclusion, you should take a few deep breaths and take note of your enhanced feelings of calmness and relaxation.
If you are not immediately able to feel improvements, don’t give up and continue to practice progressive muscle relaxation several times a week. Once you master the progressive muscle relaxation technique, you will be able to quickly put it into action to relieve tension whenever feelings of anxiety arise.
Visualization, or guided imagery, is a form of mental meditation that you can use to help relax and reduce anxiety. Your mind is a powerful tool, but the presence of anxiety causes fearful and panic attack inducing thoughts.
To effectively perform guided imagery, isolate yourself in a quiet and peaceful room. Begin by slowing your breathing rate using one of the deep breathing exercises. Now, sit or lay down in a comfortable position and close your eyes while releasing any tension throughout your body. Now use your imagination to visualize yourself in a tranquil environment such as on a beach or even one of your favorite memories. Do this for 15 minutes, uninterrupted.
It’s important to focus on the finer details of your visualization, such as the warm weather, the feeling of sand in-between your toes, the tranquil sound of waves crashing, or maybe the joy of being with a friend or loved one. This low effort technique causes the tension in your neck, face, forehead, and throat to be released. Providing you with feelings of total relaxation.
Position your mental thoughts from a pessimistic state to an optimistic outlook. Dwelling on worries and fears will only make your life with COPD worse. Using the visualization technique will help you better seek solutions to problems and help remind you of all the positive things in your life. Perception is a key factor in combating the overall effects of stress.
Upon the diagnosis of your COPD, you may have completely halted participating in your favorite interests and hobbies due to shortness of breath, chronic stress, or the constant anxiety of exacerbating symptoms. Don’t isolate yourself from your favorite hobbies or activities, causing you to dwell on the past and your declining health.
Instead, slowly ease back into your favorite hobbies or find new ones, and don’t hold yourself to the standard you once had before COPD. Gardening, knitting, scrap booking, exercising, attending book club, or other hobbies are your favorite for the simple reason that they are enjoyable and provide you with feelings of happiness.
Don’t allow your chronic stress or chronic lung disease related symptoms to isolate or restrict you from doing the things you enjoy most and the stress reducing benefits they provide! You’ve already lost lung function and the ability to do things with ease, don’t allow yourself to lose even more.
A support group is one of the vital pillars in pulmonary rehab that you should regularly participate in. A support group is a culmination of like-minded individuals with COPD that can directly relate to the symptoms you are experiencing. After all, who knows COPD first-hand better than a COPD patient?
Here you will be able to share thoughts and experiences without being judged, allowing you to freely express your feelings in an open forum. Talking with other patients on a regular basis can help reduce feelings of isolation, loneliness, stress, and enhance your overall mood. Find a local support group near you by checking out the American Lung Associations' Better Breathers Club.
Unable to commute to your local support group due to lack of availability or driving restrictions? Not a problem. Receive the same community support as you would in a local support group from the comfort of your home by joining one of the many online COPD support forums. They are an excellent option to discuss your feelings of chronic stress or other related symptoms, while having the ability to remain anonymous.
Joining an online support group is an excellent way to get acclimated to the feel of an open support forum if you are hesitant to join a local support group. Sign up for an online support group to boost your confidence and maybe even meet a new friend in the process. Learn how to cope with stress and your overall lung disease by joining a support group!
For as many as 8 out of 10 patients reading this article, your COPD is due to years of heavy or even light smoking. There are many articles showcasing the severe impact cigarettes have on lung function. However, if you have COPD and are still smoking this will be yet another reason to put down the cigarettes.
In addition to expediting the progression of COPD and worsening symptoms, nicotine has also been shown to cause breathlessness inducing panic attacks in certain people.
Though it’s often difficult for patients to quit due to addiction, or because smoking is often used as a stress or anxiety relief tactic when faced with stressful situations. If you are having difficulty quitting, don't give up and keep in mind that your body will begin to repair itself in as little as 20 minutes after quitting. Speak with your doctor about possible smoking cessation aids.
Eating a nutrient balanced diet will not only help you maintain a healthy weight to prevent exacerbating your COPD symptoms, it can also improve your mental health. By cutting out unhealthy foods, you will have an improved self-image.
Furthermore, eating sugary and empty calorie foods, including caffeinated and alcoholic beverages will drain your daily energy levels and only add onto your chronic stress levels.
Instead, you should nourish your body with COPD conscious nutrients that include fresh fruits and vegetables, lean-meats & fish, whole grains, and dairy products (unless instructed otherwise).
If anxiety continues to worsen, speak to your doctor about possible anti-anxiety medications to see if they would benefit you. It’s also important to mention anti-depressants to your doctor, as they are sometimes more effective. However, you may find otherwise and should use the medication that is most effective for stress reduction.
Keeping track of your stressful moments in a anxiety and panic attack diary can help improve your anxiety management and reduce your overall chronic stress levels in the long term. By keeping track of triggers, symptoms, and progress, you will be able to reexamine your entries to find out what you should avoid to prevent inducing a symptom worsening anxiety or panic attack.
What you should include in your anxiety and panic attack diary:
Not only will writing in an anxiety and panic attack diary help you better manage future attacks and diagnose your personal stressors, but you can also share your diary with your doctor.
Allowing them to assess your personal stressors and which techniques were most effective for treatment so they can better understand what does and does not work for you. Your panic diary can be an essential treatment resource but only if you take the time to keep it updated.
We cannot stress the importance of practicing these stress management techniques everyday, multiple times a day. After all, practice makes perfect!
By regularly practicing the stress reducing techniques discussed above, you can easily recall how to properly do them when faced with stressful situations to receive the most benefits. Don’t wait until the onset of a panic attack to try and remember how to do these techniques. Be prepared for the unexpected and PRACTICE!
Modify Your Thoughts from “COPD is the worst thing, and my anxiety is uncontrollable” to “Though both COPD and anxiety are frustrating, I know I will be okay and can manage this”.
Feelings follow thoughts, so though you have a progressive and restrictive respiratory disease it’s important that you understand certain things are out of your control. Stop focusing on the negative aspects of your COPD and focus on the positives.
Stress, it’s an aspect that many of us have to deal with, some more than others. But stress, anxiety, and panic attacks that occur in patients with COPD cause far greater complications.
Leaving chronic stress levels untreated increases your odds of experiencing a COPD exacerbation. Combat the mental and physical effects of your COPD related stress by applying the 17 stress relief techniques from above into your daily treatment for COPD.
How do you relieve stress? Specifically, which stress management techniques provide you with the most benefit and which are least effective? Leave a comment below with your stress relief tactics.