How Stress Affects Breathing for People Living with COPD

[Arnelle Konde] (0:00 - 0:06)

How strong is the link between the psychological factors like stress and anxiety and COPD flare-ups?

[Dr. Trisha Parekh] (0:07 - 0:49)

So the evidence is actually quite strong, specifically for anxiety and depression, and the link between, you know, those factors and increased symptom burden, poor quality of life, severity and frequency of exacerbations. And that there is really interesting emerging evidence that's pointing towards the relationship between perceived stress and symptom burden and frequency of exacerbations as well. But chronic stress, or really any of these, you know, like psychological factors can also make it very difficult to live the lifestyle that is necessary to optimize your COPD health.

[Arnelle Konde] (0:57 - 2:01)

Welcome to the Lung Health Champion podcast brought to you by the COPD Foundation. Each episode brings practical tips, expert insights, and a powerful lived experience. If you have lungs, you belong here.

So let's take a deep breath together and get started. I'm your host, Arnelle Conde, and in this episode, we're discussing how stress can affect COPD and other lung conditions. To bring this conversation to life, we're joined by two special guests.

First, we have Lisa, who is living with COPD and is willing to share her experience with us. We're also joined by Dr. Tricia Parrik, a pulmonologist who is passionate about helping people with COPD live better lives. Whether you're living with COPD, caring for someone who is, or just want to be more informed, this episode is for you.

Lisa, I want to start with you. Thank you so much for joining me today. Can you walk me through what breathing feels like for you, given your lung conditions when you might be experiencing stress?

[Lisa Hall] (2:02 - 2:31)

Well, when I'm under stress, I get really tight. I tend to, when I talk, I try to talk really fast to get it all out and not breathe. And I need to pull myself back and say, take in deep breaths, breathe it all out.

It sucks. It's hard to get anything done when you're feeling like that and I'm feeling a little right now. It's very hard and it's really tight.

[Arnelle Konde] (2:32 - 2:38)

So that tightness. So can you describe more what it feels like when your breathing becomes difficult under stress?

[Lisa Hall] (2:38 - 2:59)

I need to try to take a big deep breaths in to expand my lungs, which they don't want to easily. And then you're taking in, I'm taking in all that air. So it's like I got a force blow that air out to get it out.

It almost feels like your chest is bloated.

[Arnelle Konde] (3:01 - 3:18)

So yeah, the feeling of tightness and your chest feeling bloated. So Dr. Parrik, listening to Lisa's story, can you explain how stress physiologically affects the lungs, especially with people who have chronic lung conditions and what happens during the body during stress that can worsen breathing?

[Lisa Hall] (3:19 - 3:20)

And I'm sorry.

[Dr. Trisha Parekh] (3:20 - 5:00)

One more thing is I tend to cough a lot more. I like to experience stress when you're living with COPD. So just as Lisa described, you know, stresses.

It's of course like this adaptive capability that we have that is meant to help us survive over a decade. So it's longer than that, right? And it's helpful if you were in a dangerous situation or if you're in a situation where you have to move very quickly.

However, living with stress like day to day or hour to hour in this elevated state can be really harmful. And it is not just this feeling that is like a mental feeling. It has very real, like measurable physiological changes in the body.

And stress can affect every organ system. The unique thing about the lungs, it's probably one of the first organs that gets affected. If you think about it anytime that you are stressed or anxious or experiencing fear or pain, the first thing that changes is your breath, right?

And so I think if you are not living with a chronic lung condition, you're able to accommodate like a change in your breathing pattern for a period of time. But if you are like Lisa, living with asthma or COPD, this change in breathing pattern can be very difficult to adjust to without experiencing an increase in symptoms.

[Lisa Hall] (5:01 - 5:18)

Tricia, have you seen people end up in the emergency room? Like in the past, more as a younger kid, my mom will try to notify the new boyfriend or if I got excited to go to Valley Fair because I would end up in the emergency room.

[Dr. Trisha Parekh] (5:19 - 8:05)

So, yes, yes, there's actually a lot of data looking at pediatric asthma and stress and ER visits and exacerbations. And then similarly with COPD, there's a lot of emerging evidence. But going back to the question about, you know, like what is happening in our body specifically.

So, you know, take for example, if you, you know, like Lisa, like heard some recently very stressful news or you're in this stressful situation that's not changing. What happens is our body shifts from rest and relaxation to now fight or flight. And so you body starts producing these stress hormones, like adrenaline and cortisol.

And these activate respiratory centers in your brain that tell your lungs to start breathing faster. So instead of breathing like 10 minutes, 10 breaths a minute, you're breathing like 15, 20, 25. And so when you have COPD, it already is difficult to get all that air out of your lungs with the air that you take in because either your airways are narrowed or you have emphysema or there's a lot of inflammation.

And so when you're breathing really fast, that time that you have to exhale is now shortened. So you're taking this air in, but you're unable to get that air out. So you're retaining a little bit of air.

Then with the next breath, you retain some more air and some more air. And so you described it so perfectly, Lisa, like your chest feels like it's bloated. And that is literally what is happening.

You have so much volume in your chest of air that you feel that very full and suffocating feeling. It, you know, pushes down on our diaphragm, which is meant to help us breathe. And that flattening of the diaphragm puts a lot of extra work on our bodies.

So it just makes it much more challenging to take a deep breath in. And, you know, of course, this feeling is terrifying and awful. Not being able to breathe or feeling like you can't catch your breath or that you're having any type of suffocating feeling.

And so very naturally, that is going to cause fear and panic. And in an effort to relieve that air hunger and this fear, we start breathing faster. So it is a very vicious cycle and it is, it's tough to interrupt.

[Lisa Hall] (8:06 - 8:24)

Could that be to why I tend to when I get stressed, people think like I'm yelling at them when I'm not. It's because I'm trying to hurry up and get what I got to say. Oh, before I got to take another deep breath in that's going to stop me from talking.

[Dr. Trisha Parekh] (8:25 - 8:31)

Does that make sense? Yeah. You're able to kind of speak in full sentences will for sure get interrupted.

[Arnelle Konde] (8:31 - 8:51)

Okay. Thank you. Yes.

Thank you for that detailed explanation, Dr. Parak. Even I'm learning something new. Right.

Lisa, how does living with COPD affect your stress levels day to day? Are there moments where there's a fear of breathing issues and that causes more stress?

[Lisa Hall] (8:52 - 10:04)

Yes. It is when I started having a little bit of issues. I mean, like I said, I've had asthma my whole life, which is turning this.

Stage three emphasis. COPD emphasizing. And it has.

You know, I know what that feeling is like when you totally can't catch your breath. And it's time to cut nine on one or go to emergency. So I got enough training to where I can.

Make this. Take my deep breaths and calm down a little bit, but yet. It causes more stress because I'm like, if I don't pay cognitive attention or real good attention to what I'm doing in the moment and be in the moment.

I will end up in the emergency room. Or I, you know, I even, I'm on prednisone three, four times a year. If I don't pay attention, I just, you need to kind of stay at it.

I do. I need to stay at an even. Key level.

No, not too excited and not to. Deproster down because it's going to trigger. How in feeling.

[Arnelle Konde] (10:05 - 10:18)

Well, now I want to move into talking about stress and COPD flare ups or exacerbations. Dr. Parrik, how strong is the link between the psychological factors like stress and anxiety and COPD flare ups.

[Dr. Trisha Parekh] (10:19 - 11:33)

So the evidence is actually quite strong, specifically for anxiety and depression. And the link between, you know, those factors and increased symptom burden, poor quality of life, severity and frequency of exacerbations. But there is really interesting emerging evidence that's pointing towards the relationship between perceived stress and symptom burden and frequency of exacerbations as well.

I think both of the mechanisms are similar to the mechanism that I described earlier. The chronic stress or really any of these, you know, like psychological factors can also make it very difficult to. Live the lifestyle that is necessary to optimize your COPD health.

Right. If you're living with chronic stress or anxiety or depression, you are much less likely to. Maintain a regular physical exercise routine or get good sleep at night or eat nutritious food or attend all of the social events.

And all of those factors can, you know, together if those needs are not met that can contribute to poor outcomes.

[Arnelle Konde] (11:34 - 11:43)

And speaking of those poor outcomes is stress and anxiety risk factors for hospitalizations as well. And if so, how do you check for that?

[Dr. Trisha Parekh] (11:43 - 13:00)

Yeah. So anxiety and depression, as I mentioned, there definitely is evidence that points towards exacerbations and hospitalizations. And I think more studies will probably show the same with stress as well.

But there are several validated surveys that measure stress, anxious and depressive symptoms. I would also include in their like sleep quality and daily like functional status. I think asking about these different kind of measures that each visit is really important.

I would also add that equally important is asking about social barriers because the psychological factors and social barriers have such a large overlap. And I think in order to provide really optimal COPD care as physicians, it's really important that we understand the context in which somebody is living in. So, you know, like I want to know how Lisa is living, like who she's living with, what your housing situation is like, all of these things that can, you know, impact your health.

So yeah, so I would say, you know, definitely asking about all of those domains are really important.

[Lisa Hall] (13:01 - 13:34)

All right, when you're mentioning social barriers, I'm not sure if I can say this or not. But like when I was married to an alcoholic, I was always, always sick. Now that I'm single and on my own, you know, it's like I can control my anxiety or my stress around me.

[Dr. Trisha Parekh] (13:34 - 13:43)

So yeah, exactly. You know, as you mentioned, I'm sure there was a lot of stress associated with caring for your husband at the time that definitely impacted your health.

[Arnelle Konde] (13:45 - 14:05)

Absolutely. I'm glad that you mentioned that because those social barriers do influence mental health, right? You're a living situation, your personal life.

I just, you did mention depression and sleep quality. Are there any other mental health factors or risk factors for COPD flare-ups that we should be watching for?

[Dr. Trisha Parekh] (14:05 - 15:13)

Probably something else that's really important is social isolation. You know, it's very normal. I think, you know, when you have COPD, I hear this from a lot of my patients that they're afraid to leave the house as their symptom burden.

Or, you know, they're afraid they're going to be out somewhere by themselves and they're going to suddenly not be able to breathe and not know what to do. Or something is going to malfunction with their oxygen concentrator when they're out. And that is a scary situation.

So it is naturally more desirable to stay at home is that feels safer. But of course, you know, staying at home and if it is associated with becoming socially isolated and experiencing loneliness, you know, those have very real ties to health outcomes. And they're really not things that just occur, you know, by themselves.

They're catalysts for a lot of the comorbidities that we do see in COPD as well.

[Lisa Hall] (15:14 - 15:54)

And I can relate to what you're saying because like when the kids want to go do something like with the big holidays coming up, you know, and my kids are kind of used to it. They see me. They've seen who I've gotten worse over the years.

So they understand, but it's my immediate family that understands, but like this weekend, we're supposed to be going to a water park and have fun with all my grandkids and stuff. And yet I am already physically stressed about it because of, you know, are they going to have to bring me back home? Am I going to get sick?

You know, am I going to get so tired?

[Dr. Trisha Parekh] (15:54 - 16:13)

Of course. And that's totally understandable. I mean, the mental energy that you have to expend in just a simple task, like leaving the house to go pick up groceries, not to mention planning an entire trip like that where that involves other people.

That's that definitely is a stressful thing.

[Lisa Hall] (16:13 - 16:27)

Absolutely. It takes a lot of work just for me to be able to get dressed in the morning or get moving. And that alone is stressful going, oh, I got to go somewhere today.

So I got to hurry up.

[Arnelle Konde] (16:28 - 16:41)

Right. And that leads me to my next question. Lisa, you already named a few, you know, planning family time, getting dressed in the morning.

But what other kind of situations trigger stress that worsens your breathing or could worsen your breathing?

[Lisa Hall] (16:42 - 17:29)

You know, there's so many different varieties away. Like even getting excited about something like going on a trip or knowing that I got to go and, you know, like, I got to take a shower at night. So I don't have to worry about it in the morning.

And that causes simple things like that cause stress. You've got to plan your day around how you're feeling or what activities cause less. I don't know how to say it.

Movement, like the shower thing. I get so exhausted after a shower. It's easier.

I can't take one in the morning and then get dressed and try to go on with my day. It's easier to take it at night, put on my pajamas and relax.

[Arnelle Konde] (17:30 - 17:36)

Right. But you say that stress is more physical, mental or a mixture of both. I'm hearing one mixture.

Yeah.

[Lisa Hall] (17:40 - 17:57)

I would say it's because, you know, it's something that you just can't get away with. So it's part of our everyday life having a plan. When we're going to do things, you know, and it's.

You know, everything's planning with this disease too.

[Arnelle Konde] (17:58 - 18:08)

Absolutely. Dr. Parrik, how can people living with chronic lung conditions tell the difference between maybe an anxiety induced breathlessness in a real exacerbation?

[Dr. Trisha Parekh] (18:09 - 19:40)

That's a great question. It's hard cause they're so intertwined. But generally like anxiety or stress induced breathlessness will come on fairly suddenly during periods when you're excited or stressed or angry.

Any type of kind of higher level of motion. And it can improve with, you know, sitting down and kind of doing your breathing techniques or initiating any of the coping mechanisms that will work for you or removing the stressor, which sometimes can happen. Sometimes it doesn't.

However, there is a pathway like we discussed earlier where this stress induced breathlessness can lead to a true exacerbation. And, you know, a more typical COPD exacerbation will include cough and, you know, mucus production, wheezing. You may have a fever in both cases.

You'll have breathlessness. That's refractory to inhaler. And then.

I think with both, you know, once you have a true COPD or more typical COPD exacerbation, it can lead to a stress or anxiety. You know, that kind of compiles on top. But definitely I think the two have a lot of overlap.

The relationship is bi-directional between both.

[Arnelle Konde] (19:41 - 19:49)

So now I want to discuss how to manage stress. So Lisa, when you're under stress, what helps you manage it in those moments?

[Lisa Hall] (19:50 - 20:34)

My main thing is sitting down, taking a few breaths into my nose, all through my mouth, and just kind of just trying to relax. Sometimes you can't always just ignore the problem, but it's a matter of being, for me, conscious of what's going on and conscious of my breathing. Instead of just go go, you have to be very aware of, you know, your breathing more, even like when you're walking.

Breathe while you walk. We tend to stop. At least I do.

I tend to stop breathing when I'm doing anything and especially when I get stressed. So it's just a matter of being more aware, more conscious.

[Arnelle Konde] (20:35 - 20:39)

Right. Have you worked with your health care professional team on stress management?

[Lisa Hall] (20:39 - 21:00)

Not as much. Probably you should because I'm, you know, bad piece of advice. When you've had a disease for your whole life, you tend to think, you know what you're doing, but things change as you get older.

So, you know, it's like, I don't know what I'm doing.

[Arnelle Konde] (21:01 - 21:05)

We had to let people know it's okay to ask questions, ask for help. Right. Yeah.

[Dr. Trisha Parekh] (21:06 - 21:16)

But Lisa, you are also the expert of yourself. Exactly. More than anybody else will about how you're feeling and how you're doing day to day.

Yep.

[Lisa Hall] (21:16 - 21:30)

And when it's more mental, I can usually calm it down, you know, when it's more mental, but it's when it's more physiology or my body. I usually can't pull myself out of it like that.

[Arnelle Konde] (21:31 - 21:38)

So now to you, Dr. Parek. So what role does stress management play in COPD treatment plans?

[Dr. Trisha Parekh] (21:39 - 22:39)

So stress management deserves to be a core component of COPD care management, I think just like inhalers, vaccines, smoking cessation, pulmonary have, you know, it's. Critically important to address any of the psychological factors that are impacting our health, any of these social factors that are impacting our health, because if all we're doing is focusing on, you know, inhaler management and specifics of the COPD care itself, I think we're missing a big part of what matters to a person, like how they're feeling and the challenges that they encounter day to day. And so it, it, I think not only matters to a person, these factors actually, of course, we know now play a big role in shaping and influencing their health. So, so absolutely.

I think it definitely needs to be a core component.

[Arnelle Konde] (22:39 - 22:47)

And you did mention a couple, pulmonary rehab, smoking cessation. What other evidence based techniques do you recommend for stress management?

[Dr. Trisha Parekh] (22:48 - 25:36)

Absolutely pulmonary rehab is a wonderful and lovely resource that we have. Patients who attend generally have really positive feedback. It's this mixture of education and, you know, breathing techniques and exercise and support, you know, emotional support.

And so it's great if you have one close by and you're able to attend. Something else that I like is pranayam based breathing techniques. So a lot of our breathing techniques that we use today are actually originated from yoga or pranayam based breathing techniques, like the diaphragmatic breathing where you're breathing out and in with your belly. 

That is pranayam based breathing technique. So what I like to teach my patients is something that incorporates the diaphragmatic breathing, perselet breathing and the two to one breath. So breathing in through your nose and as you breathe in your belly is expanding.

We're not, you know, using our chest or our shoulders to move up and down. And then when you breathe out, you want to breathe out for double the time that you inhaled. So if you inhaled for two seconds, you will now breathe out through pursed lips.

So for four seconds. And during this time, you really want to imagine, you know, somebody's got like a pull and they're pushing your belly back, like through your belly button, you know, it should really be coming in like that. And so doing that, anytime that you reach for your inhaler, sitting down and doing those type of breaths for five minutes.

But you brought up something interesting earlier, Lisa, that I wanted to comment is, you don't want this to be something that you're not familiar with. You know, where you're already stressed out, you're already short of breath. And now, gosh, I have to like do this breathing technique that my doctor talked about and where the paper and what was it.

Now, this is something that if you practice it daily, you know, I would say first thing in the morning, like five to 10 minutes, when you're feeling good, you know, like on all your good days, continue to do it. That way, it's second nature for you. And then during these times when you are experiencing stress related breathlessness or reaching for your inhaler, because you think you're beginning to have an exacerbation, you know, sitting and doing these exercises for five minutes can really be beneficial.

You know, especially if you're at that point where you've used your albuter all and you've called your doctor and you're just like waiting, you know, what else are you going to do so you might as well sit and do these exercises.

[Lisa Hall] (25:38 - 26:10)

And I noticed in the past where I have actually passed out from not breathing because I was fighting it. This was when I was, you know, like, I was think I was like 17. I was fighting that because I'm like, I don't want to go to the hospital.

I don't want to go. And I actually passed out, which was not good. And if I would have learned about those breathing techniques back then and not fought it and just relaxed, I think I would have been better off.

[Dr. Trisha Parekh] (26:10 - 26:28)

Yeah, it's hard because, you know, knowing your core teaches us how to breathe correctly. It's really it's, you know, it's something that we think is so natural and we're just born doing it, but many of us do it, like incorrectly myself included. I always have to.

I feel like now I think I'm reading correctly.

[Arnelle Konde] (26:28 - 26:30)

I need to check myself.

[Lisa Hall] (26:31 - 26:38)

You know, when I heard one time that babies, they're belly breathers and it sounds like that's what you're trying to teach us. I like that.

[Arnelle Konde] (26:43 - 26:48)

Well, this is my last question. Should mental health care be standard in COPD management?

[Dr. Trisha Parekh] (26:49 - 28:08)

I believe it should. You know, there's so much evidence that shows that cognitive behavioral therapy is so beneficial. I think it's, of course, beneficial if you have something like, you know, diagnosed anxiety, depression.

But definitely if you're experiencing chronic stress or even situational stress, you know, these are therapists that can help for a brief period of time. I think there is sometimes this hesitation of like wanting to get involved with a therapist and what does that say about my image or, you know, do I have to tell other people or is this a relationship I'm going to be in for life now. And that's really not the case.

You know, if you think about it as if you're in a situation that is stressful and the circumstances aren't changing, then the only thing that is going to change is how you're interpreting those circumstances. So sometimes having a professional, you know, hear you from the outside and help you kind of reframe how to manage a certain problem you're dealing with can be really beneficial while you're writing it out or while you're waiting for those circumstances to change. So yeah, I would, I would definitely recommend it.

[Lisa Hall] (28:09 - 29:15)

You were talking about how sleep, you know, street sleep was very stressful for me. Because I wake up, I'm got my inhaler right under my pillow in the middle of the night, I'm doing my emergency inhaler, you know, constantly. And so I go to the doctor, the doctor goes, well, I think you're just having anxiety.

Let's put you on in some anxiety pills. She would not out or sleep study. And about three months ago, I got put on a sleep app for very mild sleep apnea.

And you know what, I do not wake up using my inhaler at all anymore. And I had to fight with the doctor for two years. And I'm like, you know, so that caused a whole lot of stress.

I was afraid to go to sleep. So then I'd end up panicking a little bit or, you know, being stressful because I do want to go to sleep. No, when I wake up in a pan, I need to my inhaler.

[Dr. Trisha Parekh] (29:15 - 29:28)

That's incredibly stressful. And I'm like glad that you advocated for yourself. And I'm sorry that you had to wait so long for a sleep study.

But I'm glad you were able to finally get it and get the CPAP that you needed.

[Lisa Hall] (29:29 - 29:32)

So I just wanted to mention how stressful that was.

[Arnelle Konde] (29:32 - 29:51)

Absolutely. Thank you for sharing. And yes, we love that you advocated for yourself.

So before we close, I would love one final takeaway from each of you. Technically, too. Dr. Park, what are two to three things he can do immediately when stress starts affecting their breathing.

[Dr. Trisha Parekh] (29:52 - 32:49)

Okay. So first thing I would do is sit down and do this breathing techniques that we talked about. Okay.

Like I said, just the process of mentally focusing on the breathing technique instead of anything else that's going around or how you can't breathe. That will help kind of lower that excited nervous system. So definitely doing those breathing techniques would be great for, you know, five minutes or so, alongside using your rescue inhaler.

And then of course, you know, if you need to reaching out to your physician. Second thing would be initiating your coping mechanism and that can be, that's going to be different for anyone, like poll 10 people and you'll get 10 different answers. You probably know what your coping mechanism is.

And if not, I would think back to the past. So times that you have heard stressful news or that you've had a really bad day or you just feel really low. What is the first thing that you're doing?

It is reaching out to someone. It is picking up like a faith based book. It is turning on a certain type of music.

Whatever it is, I would begin doing that. And then I think the third is, of course, you know, being cognizant of what is going on in your body at the time. Like, you know, is this stress induced breathlessness that is getting worse.

It is not responding to these to the breathing techniques and the coping mechanisms. And it has entered that vicious cycle that we talked about where you will need to likely call your doctor for assistance. Or is it associated with any of the other symptoms we worry about, like worsening costs, shortness of breath, wheezing or fever.

And then finally, you know, I think. A small tip that I like to tell my patients is instead of just having like an action plan of what to do with your doctor. I like to have an action chair in the house.

So you don't want to be scrambling for all the things when you're in the middle of an almost exacerbation. So have your chair, wherever it is that you spend the most time in the house. You probably already know the spot that you have in mind.

But at that spot, you want to have your inhalers. You want to have your oxygen tank. If you are on oxygen, you want to have a pulse oximeter.

If you have one at home to measure your oxygen level, you want to have a phone charger there so you can plug in your cell phone or have your landline hooked up there. And then you want to have any kind of device or prop that you need for your coping mechanism, whether that's the book or your headphones or whatever it is. And so have all of that set up.

So that way the second that you start to feel stress come on, sit down in your chair. That way you are ready to do the breathing exercises. You're ready to advance or escalate care if needed.

Absolutely.

[Arnelle Konde] (32:49 - 32:50)

Thank you, Dr. Parek.

[Lisa Hall] (32:50 - 33:08)

I love that you said that because you know what? No one has ever told me that before. And if you could look by my spot on the couch.

A nebulizer, my medication, my inhaler, my phone charger, everything. So I'm already all set up. But you're all, you got it.

You're ready.

[Dr. Trisha Parekh] (33:10 - 33:15)

I love that you said that. But yes, you add a nebulizer machine. That's a good one too.

Yeah.

[Lisa Hall] (33:17 - 33:26)

No, yeah, it's great. There at all times plugged into it. Keep it plugged in because when you can't breathe, it's hard to plug it in.

And everything's hard.

[Arnelle Konde] (33:27 - 33:36)

Another wonderful tips and take away is Dr. Parek. So Lisa, what tips or advice would you give someone who has recently been diagnosed with COPD?

[Lisa Hall] (33:37 - 34:22)

I know it's hard not to stress about it or worry about it. But I would just kind of like maybe get into some meditation. It is so important to try to stay calm.

It is so important to stay calm because the more you fight it, when you're having a hard time breathing and the more you fight it, the harder it's going to be. At least it is for me and a few other people. So it's very important to stay calm.

You know, talk to your pulmonologist or your primary care doctor, respiratory therapist, your number one resource. And listen to your body like Dr. Tricia said.

[Dr. Trisha Parekh] (34:22 - 35:06)

I'd like to add Lisa. I love that you brought up meditation because I love meditation as well. And I would just say that meditation can be different for everyone.

So it doesn't have to look like, you know, sitting in this lotus pose meditating. You can be walking and that can be a meditative practice. You can be eating and that can be a meditative practice just by focusing on the food, washing your hands and bringing focus to how the water feels like that can be a meditative practice.

So it doesn't need to look a certain way. You can look away that fits your personal lifestyle and personality.

[Lisa Hall] (35:07 - 36:09)

And that's kind of what I do. Like at the beginning of this, I'm sure you noticed my shoulders are going off. I was tough and more, but through this, through this interview, I've even been able to calm myself down because in a way it was meditating.

Why we're doing this because it's, I'm not thinking about the issue that was causing me stress. I'm thinking about something that is, you know, and I don't want to say enjoyment, but enjoyment spreading awareness. And so I was able to do the belly breathing and calm my shoulders down.

And I'm not causing it. So bringing more awareness. You know, I just like that.

So many people don't aren't paying attention to their body and it's like, just pay attention to what you're feeling and you can, you know, and I have this habit of like, I'll be like, you know, that's my meditation right there.

[Arnelle Konde] (36:09 - 36:40)

Just, you know, that's amazing. And we really want to emphasize the importance of listening to your body, not just knowing your symptoms, but just knowing, you know, when something doesn't feel right as well. So I'm glad that you had mentioned that too.

Thank you both so much for joining in this conversation. Dr. Parak, thank you for sharing your expertise. Lisa, thank you so much for sharing your story.

I know this episode is going to resonate with so many people and it's going to be so helpful and informational at the same time.

[Dr. Trisha Parekh] (36:40 - 36:43)

Thank you for inviting us. This was so fun.

[Lisa Hall] (36:43 - 36:47)

It was so fun and thank you for calming me down. I know.

[Dr. Trisha Parekh] (36:48 - 36:55)

Oh, you did. It was so cool to see in real time, you know, right? Where when we started to now.

[Lisa Hall] (36:56 - 37:18)

See, I get my shoulders. When I get like that, you know, when I'm going up and down my shoulders, I get really, it gets sore and hurts too. So, you know, that's, and I've had it long enough where I pay attention to my symptoms.

So I'm just like, and I'm like, no, just stop. Do the deep breathing and they'll come down.

[Dr. Trisha Parekh] (37:19 - 37:19)

Yeah.

[Lisa Hall] (37:19 - 37:30)

Okay. I'm glad that, you know, that you picked up on that and that many people, thank you both so much for being great.

[Arnelle Konde] (37:30 - 37:57)

Many people experience stress or anxiety, but for those with chronic lung conditions, this stress can greatly affect their breathing and health. Recognizing stress early is important as it allows us to take action to reduce its impact on breathing. If this episode resonated with you, check out the resources linked in the episode notes and share this episode with someone who needs to hear it.

Thank you for listening to the Lung Health Champion podcast.

[Disclaimer] (37:59 - 38:57)

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