Breathing

Well by a very thrilling poll demand, breathing won out by only one point! ...out of three votes. But who's counting, eh? You all wanted a post about breathing, so you got it.

There are certain situations in my life where I am acutely aware of my breathing. Here is everything I can think of:

The Dentist: I'm not sure if it's because I'm forced to sit there with my mouth gaping open while I stare at an off white wall, or if I have an irrational fear that my breath smells despite the fact that I brushed my teeth three times already, but I am always extremely aware of my breathing when I'm getting my teeth cleaned. Can they feel my breath on their hand? Am I breathing too heavy? As soon as I start to think these things, I try to slow my breathing down to a "normal" level that barely keeps me conscious. So as you can see, going to the dentist is bad for my health and I should stop going.
 

Playing Hide-And-Go-Seek: How is it that you can go from not noticing your breathing at all, to it suddenly sounding like the reeving of a starting lawnmower. I know it makes no sense, but every time I completely convince myself that they are going to find me because I sound like a person who just started breathing after nearly being drowned to death. 

Running: It doesn't happen often, but on some occasions when I am running with other people who are breathing really loudly I feel weird about the fact that I'm not out of breath. This usually happens in the beginning of the run. I start thinking things like, "Should I try to breath heavier, so they don't feel bad? Why I am not breathing as loud as they are, they are like twice as fast as me! Oh God, what if there is something wrong with me and I'm not getting enough oxygen to my muscles!" I can manage to scare myself into anything I think.
 

Sleeping: More specifically, trying to fall asleep with someone else in the room that I have never fallen asleep in front of before. I'm already aware of the fact that I am not the most eloquent of sleepers. I sleep with my mouth wide open and I snore like a middle aged man with nasal issues. Therefore, I don't need to add any other embarrassments to my sleeping pattern than are necessary. So when I'm trying to fall asleep I try to breath as softly as possible, knowing what I'm forcing the other person to endure when I actually fall asleep. 

Taking a Particularly Hard Test: We've all had those tests where everyone in the room is partially into the test, then you can feel the shift in the atmosphere as people start realizing it's a freaking hard test. It's during these tests that I am super aware of my breathing because it doesn't take much to anger people. The person that coughed in the back of the room got so much hate stare, I'm not sure how they can go back to the test knowing their shame. There is no way I am risking breathing heavily.

Tally of number of people who have noticed my new glasses: 1

On my ipod today: "Send Me On My Way" by Rusted Root. Good pick me up song if you ever need one.