Forgetting to Breathe

It sounds strange, but I'm so stressed at work these days that I think I'm forgetting to breathe. Several times a day I catch myself gasping for breath after what must have been too long a period of concentration. Even when I do breathe, I never feel quite caught up on oxygen. I find myself wondering if I've developed asthma or something, but I think I'm just really stressed out.

This doesn't seem to happen after I've been home for an hour or two, watering my garden or checking the mail. Once I get out of my high-stress environment I breathe just fine. These days medical workers know the big deal that stress is. The physical and emotional toll can be high. Ulcers, back and neck pain, eczema, stomach pain, even baldness and infertility are linked to stress in some cases. Our bodies are a careful balance. What signs have you seen that stress has worn on you now, or in the past?