Lately I’m aware that I’m sighing heavily throughout the day. It’s not new for me but I notice it more now.
Yes, I’m often tired and exasperated and the sighs come out.
No one has said anything to me lately but I know it’s annoying. (A family member has teased me about it a few times in the past.)
Please share your suggestions– thanks!
15 comments
Do something you enjoy and unwind once in a while.
Are you depressed?
Could try to take deep breaths with intention to see if they displace the sporadic ones.
Install brain, stop looking for excuses, use said brain?
I’ve had a family member comment on me doing that as well. Just another thing I have to be aware of…. better off alone
This is your body trying to relax itself , not to be weird but horses also do it to reset haha just try to see what’s stressing you out
Make it fun by penalizing yourself with a “sigh jar.” Similar to a swear jar, you put whatever amount in a jar whenever you catch yourself sighing. You can ask others too to catch you sighing or even pay them when they catch you
I used to hang around someone who sighed all the time. One time I asked if he was mad at me when he took a big sigh after I asked him a question. He said, “oh no not at all!” And proceeded to tell me a story how he got nervous in speech class and his teacher encouraged him to take deep breaths and let out a sigh, and it helped him!
Now I do it all the time! lol I don’t know your experience or how you relate to sighing (sounds like looking at what is causing your exhaustion may be helpful), and I know everyone is different but I honestly love how it feels. I teach yoga and incorporate it into classes often. Outside of that, when people comment, I’ll just own it and share that it is relaxing and tension relieving for me.
And honestly it’s not that I’m typically stressed about a particular topic. More like maintenance. There’s so many micro stressors that come with modern life, just driving shifts us into more of the sympathetic (activated) nervous system state. Everyone could stand to take a few deep breaths!
Three things I would look into: firstly, chinese medicine talks about sighing being connected to the liver – your liver may need some physical support (herbs like dandelion root, milk thistle); or you may need to move/process/release emotions like anger, bitterness, frustration as those are connected most to the liver. You could do that by journaling around these questions: “what or who am I angry at? Where do I feel anger or frustration in my body? What does my anger want to say or express?” (There are other ways to process these emotions; these are just ideas to get you started.)
Secondly, excess sighing may be connected to upper airway problems, mouth breathing etc. Do you breathe through your mouth or nose generally? We should always be breathing through our nose as much as possible, with the tip of our tongue resting where it does when you make an ‘n’ sound, the rest of the tongue suctioned to the roof of the mouth when we are not speaking or eating. You may also have muscular imbalances in the jaw/throat/face that are affecting your breathing patterns. You can work with an orofacial myotherapist for help with this, and start mouth taping while you sleep.
Lastly, you could look at nervous system regulation practices like somatic practices (gentle movement), breathwork, journaling. Sighing a lot can indicate your nervous system is dysregulated (ie in fight, flight, or freeze mode) and it is trying to regulate itself. These practices help to release stress energy that is stuck in your system and that contribute to an underlying feeling of lack of safety/overwhelm.
These were just my immediate thoughts. I’m an osteopath, massage therapist, and energy healing practitioner… let me know if you have any questions about any of that!
I do it too. Who cares?!? Do you. It’s part of our personality!
I used to do the same thing when j was younger and my life was crazy as hell! Sighs come naturally as do yawns when your body needs extra oxygen or if it’s not getting enough! So maybe your breathing super lightly or something. Idk. But I bet a daily workout routine would help strengthen everything up !
You’re cruising on auto pilot. Make some new plans, buy something new , visit somewhere, book a trip away. Change your routine
I breath in at home then sigh as heavily as I can several times As loud and forcefully as you can. I have a lot of stress. It helps reduce it some.
Could also have bloodwork done if you’re into that. It’s quite an extreme consideration at this point, but I think something about diabetes and the acidity changes in one’s body can alter respiration.
Practice breathing in your spare time