Thank you! Definitely experiment with a short breath, but the truth is, your lungs have enough air to speak without taking a breath. The feeling of air hunger is likely is due to the fear and can be better remedied by exhaling. Light contact is great, if you can make it happen in the moments you need it. My post addresses ways to retrain your body to automatically do light contacts. The extra force in articulators is likely due to fear, so addressing that with the steps I gave, will help to reduce all tension. https://stutteringtherapyresources.com/blogs/blog/my-student-seems-to-be-gasping-for-air