When Breathing Isn’t Enough

We all know the advice: “Just take a deep breath.”

It sounds simple, right? Except when it’s not.

There are moments when I feel so overwhelmed that I can’t sit still long enough to breathe. My mind races, my heart pounds, and the idea of slowing down feels impossible.

In those moments, my go-to isn’t stillness. It’s movement. Sometimes that means going for a jog, and other times I lift weights. It’s almost like my body needs to release something before it can calm down.

I’ve always found that interesting. I know breathing exercises work. I practice them often, and they’re part of my toolkit. But when anxiety hits a certain level, breathing alone doesn’t cut it. It’s as if my nervous system is so charged that it needs a different kind of reset first.

The science actually supports this. When we experience stress, our sympathetic nervous system, the part that triggers the “fight, flight, or freeze” response, kicks in. Our heart rate rises, muscles tense, and breathing becomes shallow and rapid. It’s the body’s way of preparing us to react. So in a sense, moving first makes sense. Physical activity helps release that surge of adrenaline and cortisol. Once that energy has somewhere to go, the parasympathetic system, the “rest and digest” part, can step in. That’s when breathing starts to work again.

It took me a while to realize that this doesn’t mean I’m doing it wrong. It just means my body has its own way of returning to calm. Movement first, then breath.

Now when I feel that familiar wave of anxiety or overstimulation, I don’t force myself to sit still. I put on my shoes, step outside, or pick up some weights. Even ten minutes helps. After that, I can usually slow down enough to take a real, deep breath, the kind that feels like a release rather than a chore.

I’m curious, does anyone else experience this? Do you need to move before you can breathe? Or have you found breathing exercises that actually help when your mind and body feel on high alert?