BLOW A BALLOON

One day, Thomas told me: “Buy a balloon.” It was one of the therapies recommended by Thomas, my friend and my physician, later to become a doctor in the neuropsychiatric unit of the Charité Hospital in Berlin. Every time I felt anxiety coming on, every time my breathing became irregular, breathing deeply and quickly, puff, puff, huff puff, and as I blew up the balloon, I would bring my breathing back under control. It was one form of breathing exercise designed to facilitate hyperventilation, in order to prevent a panic attack occurring even after the breathing had begun to be irregular. Thomas used to look at me absently with gloomy eyes where green and gray were intermingled. Even now, they are still the most irritating, sad eyes I ever saw, that ever looked at me. I blew up several thousand balloons.

Excerpt from "Bought a Ballon" by Jo Gyeong-nan, available here.

Thank you Lord Sun for this story.