Suffocating for Growth

When things are out of order in my life, I feel like I am suffocating. It's almost as though the air around me is being sucked away and sent off someplace far away. The crazy thing is that when life is really out of sorts, it seems like I am frozen and stuck watching the "good" air just fly away from me.

Why is this the case and is there any benefit to it? From a physiological standpoint, it does make sense. When we are stressed, we tend to tighten-up, and we often take very shallow breaths. Hence...the suffocation! What is the benefit of this?

It is hard to say that there is a clear benefit to feeling like you are suffocating. However, can you see that there is a benefit in learning what you do not want to feel? None of us like the feeling of a tight chest or lack of air associated with suffocating. The ironic beauty is that the feeling of suffocating helps us remember what we do not like, so we do not do it again.

What is making you feel like you are suffocating, and what do you think it is trying to teach you?