When your nervous system is in a sensitized state, even automatic functions like breathing can feel “off.” Anxiety hijacks your body’s natural rhythm. Your brain’s alarm system (the amygdala) activates a stress response, tightening muscles in the chest and diaphragm. The trap occurs when you start monitoring every breath, thinking control = safety. But that attention becomes fuel for the alarm, keeping your body in high alert. The truth: Your body already knows how to breathe. It’s been doing it