When focusing on breath makes it worse, how do I stop overthinking it?

[Brandon31]

I’ve been trying to use my breath as an anchor when my thoughts race, but I keep getting tangled up in trying to control it perfectly. Instead of feeling centered, I end up more focused on whether I’m doing it right, and that just creates a new kind of tension. Has anyone else found that focusing too hard on the technique can sometimes pull you out of the moment?

[HannahL]

I tried to lock the breath in place and it stressed me out more I kept asking am I doing this right and it felt hollow

[Zoey90]

I noticed it helped when I stopped checking if I was doing it perfectly and instead felt the body settle even for a moment

[Zachary_W]

Could the real tension be the expectation of calm rather than the method itself?

[William20]

One time I let the practice drift a bit and just watched thoughts pass without grabbing for an answer and it was hardly smooth but calmer a little

[SamuelG]

Another day I forgot about it completely and then remembered the cue by accident and it felt like a small win but then I worried maybe I still need fix this