Morning Anxiety

[GypsyAvalon]

Hello Everybody, 

Just wondering if anyone has trouble managing their anxiety in the morning.

As soon as I wake up and my brain kicks into gear, I find my anxiety is at it's worse. I have the fear of not being able to cope with the day.

I usually spray lavender oil on my pillow case and do deep breathing to calm down but it doesn't work all the time.

It starts at about 6am every morning.

Do any members have some tips or suggestions to help me manage it better?

Thanking you. 

[Fern42]

Hi GypsyAvalon,

I can absolutely relate to this one myself and I think some people more than others do experience anxiety earlier of an morning than throughout the day. There is a neurochemistry explanation for it too. I find deep breathing the most effective for me, however do you find that there are specific things your worrying about when you wake up?

It can be helpful to write certain worries you have going on down in a journal before going to bed. Sometimes all your anxiety wants to do is be heard so if you can get your thoughts down onto paper it can help it not come about the next morning! Just an idea 🙂 

[GypsyAvalon]

Hi Fern42

Thank you for your reply.

I have the fear in the morning of not being able to cope with the day and also the fear of getting so sick again that I need to go to a clinic or hospital. Unfortunately, when I was in the clinics, I was terribly traumatised by the treatment they gave me. Electric shock treatment and TMS. None of it worked.

I'm not a writer so journally is not for me.

[Fern42]

Carrying that worry sounds very stressful in itself. Have you considered talk therapy with a private counsellor/psychologist rather than a hospital? That is fair enough, journaling is not for everyone.

[yours_truly]

Hi GypsyAvalon,

This problem is something I can completely relate to. It’s frustrating and it just worsens my day from the very beginning. Something that helps me is to just take a minute to think about what I know is going to happen throughout the day that will change my mood for the better. 

e.g I am a student and as soon as I wake up, everything overwhelms me and it just all becomes too much. So, I sit up on my bed and take a deep breath before thinking about what I know will make me happy later on. This could be simply seeing my friends or buying good food. 

Grounding myself tends to ease the overwhelming feeling that sends me into a complete catastrophe,

yours_truly

[gloria10]

Hi,

I can understand this. Not so much when I'm just at home for the day, but when I work.

It's great that you are doing deep breathing; I get it can be difficult when anxious. 

I've found giving myself a bit more time to wake up helps, rather than rushing straight away. Avoiding coffee till I calm more. I also break up the day, something someone else told me. Even if it's starting with getting out of bed, having breakfast or small tasks at a time.

Planning something enjoyable helps too, like having a special lunch or watching a show I like.

I hope it improves for you. 

Gloria10

[2635654]

I can relate to this also. Some days worse than others. I recently came across some words that help change my perspective from fearing the unknown, overthinking, over planning, thinking I wasn’t going to cope/manage and fail….. to focusing on what I can do/what I can achieve….. e.g. to do lists: clean room - I CAN clean one corner, shower - I CAN wash my face, wash dishes - I CAN clean 1plate and fav mug….. etc

Acknowledging my anxiety rather than hiding it has also helped lifting the shame from my load, have a list to help organise and focus on what I CAN do. But mostly just keep on trying xo

[GypsyAvalon]

Hi Fern42

I have a new psychologist and we are starting to work through it all. 

[GypsyAvalon]

Thank you for your reply.

I do deep breathing in the morning including using lavender oil on my pillow case. 

[GypsyAvalon]

Thank you for your reply.

I like the idea of giving myself a bit more time to wake up and get out of bed.

I will put that into practice.