Bronchodilators are medications that help physically open your airways. However, bronchodilators are not for everyone. They are most effective for treating an asthma attack, so bronchodilators may not help your shortness of breath if you do not have asthma.  Many bronchodilators incorporate a corticosteroid to help ease breathing and improve air flow. These medications are typically only available by prescription, so talk to your doctor if you think bronchodilators may help you. Common bronchodilators include Aerobid, Albuterol, Azmacort, Flovent, Medrol, and prednisone. Smoking is one of the biggest causes of shortness of breath. Even if you don't smoke, being around other people's second-hand smoke can irritate your lungs and make breathing difficult. If you're currently a smoker, you should quit as soon as possible. You should also avoid being around smokers, regardless of whether or not you yourself smoke.  Ask your family, friends, and coworkers to help you quit smoking. Ask them to keep an eye on you and stop you from smoking any time you're tempted.  Use smoke cessation products like nicotine gum, patches, and lozenges. All of these products are available over the counter without any prescription.  Try to manage your stress and avoid triggers that make you crave tobacco. Products with a strong scent or a significant air particle presence can adversely affect your breathing. Even household chemicals like cleaning products, candles, and perfumes can affect your ability to breathe.  If you must use household chemicals like cleaning products, make sure you do so in a well-ventilated area. Turn on a fan and open all the windows to allow your home to air out. If you work with chemicals, take safety precautions by using a respirator and any workplace ventilation options at your disposal. Being overweight can make it difficult to breathe, especially during mild to moderate physical activity. If you believe that your breathing difficulties may be caused by a weight problem, talk to your doctor about a weight-loss plan to help you safely and effectively reduce your weight.  Eat smaller meals. Eating large meals will put strain on the digestive system and this may lead to reflux and irritation in your esophagus. Focus on eating healthy, low-calorie meals. Avoid anything greasy, fatty, or high in sugar.  Increase the amount of exercise you get. Talk to your doctor about how to do this safely. Once you get approval from your doctor, aim to get at least 150 minutes each week of moderate exercise, or 75 minutes each week of higher-intensity aerobic exercise. Some individuals who are prone to anxiety might experience breathing problems during a panic attack. This usually involves a rapid heartbeat, short, shallow breathing patterns, and an overwhelming sense of fear or dread. Talk to your doctor if you believe you may have an anxiety disorder. Having your anxiety diagnosed is the first step in treating the symptoms.  Anti-anxiety medications may help reduce the symptoms of a panic attack, which can include shortness of breath. Common anxiety medications include benzodiazepines and selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can also be very effective at treating anxiety. Though it may not help during an active panic attack, CBT can help manage your anxiety and reduce the overall frequency/intensity of panic attacks. You might also try meditation as a way to control your anxiety and breathe deeply. Any type of physical exertion at elevations above 5,000 feet (1,524 meters) can impair your ability to breathe. You may also experience elevation sickness at high elevations if you are not properly acclimated. If you experience the symptoms of elevation sickness, including headaches, confusion/disorientation, and difficulty breathing, it's important that you return to lower elevations as soon as possible. Elevation sickness usually goes away after returning to a lower elevation. Common treatments and preventative measures for elevation sickness include:  taking medications like Acetazolamide, Dexamethazone, Methazolamide, and Sildenafil taking natural supplements like gingko, vitamin C, and other antioxidants staying hydrated adjusting to higher elevations gradually over several days

Summary: Try using bronchodilators. Quit smoking and avoid second-hand smoke. Avoid pollutants, chemicals, and scented products. Lose weight if you are obese or overweight. Treat anxiety. Stay at lower elevations.


Different writers find inspiration through different means. Some listen to music while mentally brain-storming setting ideas; some take a walk, waiting for inspiration to come from the real outdoor world; some simply sit in a quiet, peaceful place and think. Find what works best for you, and let yourself get lost inside your imagination. It doesn't have to be anything ground-breaking. You don't even have to write in full sentences if you don't want to - sometimes, writing down single words to describe your setting in the early stages of development is better than writing big chunky paragraphs. Write down anything that comes to mind, even if you're not sure it will work. You can easily scrap any ideas that you don't need later on. You could even roughly sketch your mental images of the setting, if that works better. Remember, do whatever feels right to you. There are no rules to follow. Let your ideas flow freely. You need to create a gaping hole in the page that drops us into your world. If your setting is a rainforest, your animals need to roar and shriek and squawk; we need to be able to smell the cloying scent of exotic flowers, feel the wind and the rain against our skin, taste tangy juice dancing and singing in our mouths as we take a bite out of a strange but wonderful piece of fruit. Always take all five senses into account, even if you don't plan on making a note on them all, and if you feel that it would add to the scene, comment on the weather. It's completely up to you. Writing something like "It was warm" doesn't leave much to the reader's imagination and will make it difficult to really connect with your novel. Instead, try experimenting with different language devices or unusual imagery ideas. Saying "A cloak of balmy sunlight embraced me lovingly" sounds much more interesting and engaging than "It was warm", doesn't it? When writing an action scene, you need to keep your description of the setting and what's going on clear but concise. Too many language devices at one time tends to get on the reader's nerves and distracts us from the main plot, so don't over-use them. Once you really get into your setting, it becomes much too easy to ramble on and on about the scene. Remember that you have an actual story to tell. Stay focused on the plot and the characters. If you're not 100% immersed in your novel's setting yet, you can always do a little warm-up exercise. Write a page or two about your setting as you explore it. Use whatever perspective that comes most naturally to you. You could take on the role of an existing character in your book, make up a new character, or you could even write an account of the expedition from YOUR point of view. Let yourself get lost in the setting that you've created, and, more importantly, have fun with it. You as The Writer don't always spot the same mistakes and inconsistencies that The Reader would. Show what you've written to someone you trust and ask them if your scene building is effective enough, or join an online writing forum. Most good writers go over certain pieces of their writing so much, they come to know it off by heart. You can cut details that don't work, add more details that you think would create a more vivid scene, or simply read.
Summary: Spend a few minutes daydreaming about the world of your novel. Once you have a few general ideas about your setting, it's time to start writing your ideas down. Make your setting vivid. "Show, don't tell" - it really does work. Keep it in mind that you shouldn't always show but not tell. By now, you should have a pretty clear mental picture of the world that your characters live in. Find a good feedback system that works for you. Keep going over it until it's perfect. If you really have a passion for the delicate craft of writing, then there's nothing you can't achieve.