Anxiety Help – The Best Breathing Technique for Chest Tightness
Calming Anxiety | Guided Meditation, Sleep Hypnosis & Panic Attack Relief
Calming Anxiety
4.7 • 577 Ratings
🗓️ 6 April 2026
⏱️ 10 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In this session, Martin—a clinical hypnotherapist and former paramedic—shares a scientifically proven technique to help you find relief. Drawing on years of experience in the back of an ambulance and in clinical practice, he guides you through the Physiological Sigh, a powerful tool to clear CO2 buildup and reinflate the lungs' tiny air sacs (alveoli) that often collapse during high stress.
What you will learn in this episode:
- The Physiological Sigh: A step-by-step guide to the most effective breathing technique for shortness of breath and panic attacks.
- Grounded Visualization: Open your chest and mind with a guided "Summer Window" visualization designed to soften tension.
- 3 Daily Caring Tips: Practical paramedic-backed advice, including the "Tripod Reset" to physically open your lungs and the "2-Minute Phone Break" to reduce anxiety triggers.
Even after seven years of helping others through Calming Anxiety, Martin shares how he uses these exact techniques to navigate his own recent health scares and tension. You’ve done brilliantly today by listening to your body's message and answering it with calm.
Ready to break the cycle of anxiety for good? Access the full Anxiety Breaker Course at: calminganxiety.fm
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Backing Music: Chris Collins
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Ready for More Calm?Thank you for listening to the Calming Anxiety Podcast, featuring guided meditation, mindfulness, and sleep hypnosis sessions with Martin Hewlett. Our mission is to provide you with proven tools for anxiety relief, stress reduction, and a path toward deep relaxation. Use this episode anytime you need to calm your mind and feel more at ease.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | If you've searched for anxiety help because you're struggling with chest tightness, |
| 0:06.5 | a racing heart, or that feeling that you can't take a deep breath, stay right here. |
| 0:13.8 | This physical sensation of anxiety in the chest, it's overwhelming. |
| 0:19.4 | But in the next ten minutes, we are physically going to override |
| 0:23.6 | your nervous system and simply bring you back to calm. |
| 0:29.6 | Hi there, welcome to calming anxiety. I'm Martin, I'm a clinical hypnotherapist and former |
| 0:37.1 | paramedic. |
| 0:38.3 | I've spent years in the back of an ambulance and in clinical practice helping people just like you navigate the shortness of breath, the high stress. |
| 0:49.3 | So together, let's fix it. |
| 0:53.3 | If you can, find your quiet place now, |
| 0:57.0 | somewhere comfy to sit or lie down, |
| 1:00.0 | where you won't be disturbed for a while, |
| 1:03.0 | and if it's safe to do so, close your eyes. |
| 1:07.0 | When your chest feels tight, |
| 1:10.0 | your lungs, the tiny little air sacks, the alveoli, they've |
| 1:15.4 | actually collapsed. |
| 1:17.4 | You feel like you're suffocating, but you've actually simply have a buildup of carbon dioxide. |
| 1:25.7 | We are going to use the wonderful physiological sigh. It really is the most |
| 1:32.5 | scientifically prusing breathing technique for anxiety and it helps you reinflate those lungs. |
| 1:41.2 | Again, you'll inhale deeply through your nose until your lungs feel full and then |
| 1:48.0 | right at the very end, you take that last second sip of air, that sharp in-breath and feel |
| 1:56.5 | your chest truly expand. There's no need to pause. You'll let out a very long, slow, audible |
... |
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