Hello Clear82
That sounds really hard. I’m sorry you’re going through this. Breakups are tough enough without having to deal with anxiety on top.
I was wondering, are there any thoughts that you’re having when you first wake up or during the day? It makes sense that anxiety would be a response to a breakup because having people physically close is a great comfort and source of security for us. Do you have other people in your life that you could spend some time with, to help you maintain a sense of connection?
Unfortunately our minds and bodies can get stuck looping on feelings of anxiety. We might feel anxious or have a panic attack, and then we get anxious about why that’s happening, and so on. Sometimes it’s helpful to work out how to break the cycle. Apart from waking in panic, are you sleeping ok in general? I went through a period where I used to wake up in a panic attack too. It was so hard because I didn’t even get a chance to think anything through before it hit me. At the time I was experiencing very bad anxiety during the day and I think it was seeping into my sleep. It did get better over time, but I had to work at reducing my anxiety during the day, and also setting up a more peaceful sleep routine.
Do you use any skills to help with your anxiety? Such as meditation, mindfulness, yoga or journaling. When we have a lot on our minds writing about it can be really grounding and help to clear your head. I’ve been able to work out a lot of feelings this way and comfort myself in knowing that I’m working through my worries. Sometimes it helps to just get it outside of your head.
I also tried doing some breathing exercises during the day, just simple ones like breathing in for the count of three, holding for three, then out for three. I did that lots during the day just to bring my mind a little bit of peace. It took a while to become a habit, but it’s something I’ve tried to maintain over time. It’s also super helpful before bed, just to calm your system a bit before you go to sleep. There’s lots of breathing and meditation videos you can look up, or there’s also a couple of great apps. I especially like the Smiling Mind app.
I hope that you’ll feel a little better soon. Breakups are so hard, especially in the early days, but I promise it does get easier. In the meantime though I hope that you can find some peace and take care of yourself.
Alexlisa
