Can breathing exercises make anxiety worse?

Yes, if you use the wrong technique for your current state. Energizing breathwork (like breath of fire or rapid inhale patterns) during a panic attack dumps more activation into an already overloaded system. Calming techniques during dorsal vagal shutdown (numbness, disconnection) can push you deeper into freeze. The fix isn’t avoiding breathing exercises. It’s matching the technique to your nervous system state. Extended exhale breathing is generally the safest starting point for anxiety because it directly activates the parasympathetic response.