Another anxiety filled morning.

[Shutterbug65]

Every morning I awake with such terrible anxiety and I’m tired of dealing with it. I have trouble sleeping and the moment I wake, all the negative thoughts come rushing in, and it’s impossible to get back to sleep. I have no friends or family to turn to. And I can’t deal with life anymore, of being alone. I have a lot of problems and I’m just tired of constantly worrying about them. I know that the life I live today is my own fault, no one else is to blame. And everybody has their own problems. Im just stuck in this endless cycle. Today is a holiday but I wish I was at work, at least I’d have something to do. I can’t stand being home, I end up pacing around and getting nothing accomplished. Please can anyone relate to this?

[Beatennotdefeated]

I have morning anxiety too. I did not even know that was common until recently. I don’t have any solutions. But I do think keeping busy helps a little. Can you make yourself contact one family member and tell them the situation? But keep in mind they may have no understanding or empathy for the situation. Have you looked for a support group? I am looking now. Another thing you might try is a church group for singles. Often you will find people in your situation. If you are not religious it doesn’t really matter. Or a 1 hour volunteer commitment on a holiday. Cause holidays are the worst. But of course these things just take the edge off but don’t relieve the anxiety. I’m assuming you are on medications. I keep trying new ones. Something has to work.

[Shutterbug65 in reply to Beatennotdefeated]

I’m tired of trying and having nothing work. I’m tired of the meds that don’t work, the therapy that doesn’t work. I’m tired of praying to a God who doesn’t listen. I’m close to giving up. All that seems to work is drinking. I’m sorry to waste peoples time here. Your good and offer some great advice, but through my entire life I’ve never did what was good for me. I’m sorry.

[pink83737 in reply to Shutterbug65]

Please don't give up, this rain won't last forever soon the sun will shine. Try listening to the song "in my blood by shawn mendes" its about anxiety and i can so relate to it feeling like giving up etc. Things will work soon you have to allow yourself to know that its helping, its not gonna help overnight it will take some time for therapy to work and medication. Drinking is only making it worse...Have you tried taking melatonin? that usually calms me down a lot.

[Shutterbug65 in reply to pink83737]

Thank you so much for taken the time to show you care. I just feel so completely alone and this makes my anxiety and depression worse. And I feel sorry for myself a lot. I just get tired of trying after so many years.

Where can I get melatonin. And how does it work? Thank you.

[pink83737 in reply to Shutterbug65]

You can get it at your local drug store. Melatonin just makes you sleepy and it has a calming effect.

[Hollick in reply to Beatennotdefeated]

Thanks for sharing Beaten, lots of truth to what you said, I agree..

[Hidden]

Hi Shutterbug65, I am wondering if you are not having a slow nervous breakdown of some sort? I have had two in the past 6 months. Just had one recently. I can't go anywhere either. I do not have a vehicle right now. Also I'm in FL. The weather is bad due to the hurricane. My husband works nights and sleeps days so I am almost ALWAYS alone. I do have my cat, Maxi though.

I have terrible anxiety and depression and I cry every day, I feel as if I cannot handle life either. But that feeling of being incapable is a symptom of a nervous breakdown. My mom had one when I was little so the tendency runs in the family. I am so sorry for what you are going through! Life is so very hard. I've had to overcome a whole 32 years of trauma and abuse, including physical assaults and sexual abuse. I do not know what you are going through but I DO know that if I can make it, so can you!

Here is my advice to you:

1. Okay, let's first see if what you are having is actually a nervous breakdown. Did you know that constant stress, trauma, abuse, anxiety and depression ALL affect your nervous system? This puts it in "high alert" mode, making you always anxious. When you have had too much, your nervous system breaks down. Trust me, I have A LOT of experience with this. You need to RESET your nervous system. Check out this site for RESET:

infuseyourself.life/restore...

There are also many other similar sites just Google "How To Reset Your Nervous System."

Okay, now, let's look at the symptoms of a nervous breakdown. Read about it here:

medicalnewstoday.com/articl...

2. If you do not have an Amazon.com account, go sign up!

Go here and sign up for Kindle Unlimited (Amazon). It is a FREE 30 day trial. It may require a card number but you will NOT get charged as long as you cancel BEFORE the trial ends. (Make sure you write down the date you signed up and keep it somewhere safe) It will let you know on your account page when you will be billed IF you keep the trial. Just cancel on the 28th or 29th day and you will NOT get charged a penny. Here is the link.

amazon.com/kindle-dbs/hz/si...

3. Go here: amazon.com/Nervous-Breakdow... and download this book FREE to your Kindle Unlimited. The book is called: Nervous Breakdown: The No Nonsense Guide On How To Handle Stress, Overcoming Suicidal Thoughts And How To Deal With Depression.

One important thing to help you is to avoid triggers. I am a birthmom who gets to send my daughter toys and got a job at ToyRUs. Well guess what? I got triggered. Literally flipped out. Cried all day. Cussed out my husband, (I would NEVER do that and have NEVER done that before!) I am usually a very calm person. I let him have it. Luckily, he was very understanding. My psych gave me Lexapro (on top of the other 5 meds I was on) to help me with it. Know your triggers. Write them down. And avoid them. I quit that job and my psych said it was the right thing to do. If there is someone or a situation in your life that is causing you grief, please, if you can, eliminate it or at least eliminate as much exposure to it as you can. My psych told me that the job was NOT worth my mental health.

Please practice a lot of love and self care. Love yourself NO MATTER what you have done or what mistakes you have made in your life. I can honestly say that I made A LOT of bad choices in my life and yes I suffer from them but I do not play the blame game. Do not judge yourself, You wouldn't judge a friend or family member, would you? SO treat yourself with the same respect. Have compassion for yourself. The very reason we are all alive on this planet is to MAKE MISTAKES and learn. Why do bad things happen? Because the Universe is experiencing THROUGH us, and it MUST fulfill EVERY experience possible. The Universe is unlimited and it is expanding.

I hope all this advice helps! Also check out VUDU; and click on "Movies On Us" you can watch free with ads.

Have a better day!! HUGS AND SMILES!! ; )

[Shutterbug65 in reply to Hidden]

Thank you for all the great advice. You gave me some great resources to check out. I don’t think I’m having a nervous breakdown though. I’m just plain nervous all the time. I worry constantly about my future. I live alone so I’m worried about what will become of me. Every day I wake up anxious and I’m tired, I don’t get enough sleep. My life wasn’t always like this, I used to be happy, I had friends, and was somewhat confident, enough to get me through. Now I’m alone and all I have are my worries, my mind just won’t calm down.

I’m sorry to go on like this. I have an appt. with my phychiatrist this morning but she’ll probably just put me on another med. I was seeing a therapist but I stopped because of the cost of seeing her every week, and she kept pushing me to go to these meetup groups on meetup.com, I coukdnt do that.

thank you again for your advice. I’m not sure if anything will change. I so many problems I just want to give up.

[Hidden]

Don’t give up shutterbug...

Life can improve ....

Thinking of you.

What lovely helpful replies here...

🌺🌺🌺🌺

[Shutterbug65]

Thank you Olivia. I don’t understand how my life got to this point. But I just don’t see anything good happening to me, now or in the future. I’ll always be depressed, I’ll always be anxious, and I’ll always be alone. It’s just the way I see my life. I know nothing will change unless I change it. But I’m unmotivated and to change my life I need someone to push me. That’s been the story of my life. If I’m afraid of something I’ll just go into my safe zone and not deal with it. I just ignore the problem and hope it goes away.

I miss my Grandparents so much, they raised me and I feel like I disappointed them. And my Dad who I lost four years ago. Now I’m just adrift.

I’m sorry for all this negativity, you been so nice with your responses. I really hope we continue to communicate.

Thank you for listening. Hope your day is going well.

[Hidden in reply to Shutterbug65]

Hey 😊 my day not been bad..better than other days

I hear how your feeling, and I think what you say will resonate with a lot of us here. I’ve certainly seen things similar to how you do right now...not seeing anything good happening to us...

Always here to chat ..

You really aren’t alone 🌺🌼🌺🌼

[Shutterbug65 in reply to Hidden]

Thank you. I just left a reply. I saw my phychiatrist yesterday and was prescribed another med. I forgot the name of it lol that’s just like me. And I haven’t picked it up yet. But I’ve been on so many and I guess I’m burned out, I’m tired of even trying something new. I been seeing the same phychiatrist for over 10 years. And all she does is ask how I’m doing? Goes over my meds, she’ll ask about my sleep, we talk for about 15 minutes and that’s it. The same thing repeated every two months. I was seeing a therapist but that didn’t work out, I couldn’t afford the co payment every week, and I wasn’t doing the things she wanted me to do like go to meet ups. She was pushing me to get out and meet new people.

Well have to go, another day awaits. I certainly hope your day is going well. Thanks again for reading my sometimes long posts. But most of all for being so kind. We need more kindness in the world. 🌸🌻

[Lyn842]

Absolutely! Very sarcastically I say, " Oh whoopie! Another day to get through!" Yes, I understand. All I can say, if you are getting the help you need, whether it be counseling, meds, whatever, this can and will pass. Get all the help you can. Life is not always pleasant and fun but it can be worth living.

[Shutterbug65]

Thank you. I often have my doubts that I’ll get better. I’m always so anxious in the morning, even on the weekend. It’s like I wake up and my mind takes over and all I ruminate on are negative thoughts. And its made worse by living alone. I do see a phychiatrist. I went yesterday and was prescribed another med. I’m tired of it.

[Forensic]

I can! I too wake up with anxiety. I cant figure it out. I see other people get up in the morning and start their day with no problems. Why can't I??😥

[Shutterbug65 in reply to Forensic]

It’s awful. Everyday I wake with intense anxiety. And on top of it I never get enough sleep. I just want to know if this is common among anxiety sufferers?

[Hidden in reply to Shutterbug65]

Yes it is, but it’s not healthy. Until you get your major issue resolved nothing will change. Your major issue is unresolved grief and lack of relationships. Once you start to work on these issues, your anxiety will start to resolve. You could start by getting a 12 step workbook and just start working on that yourself. I recommend the Codependency Workbook. Even doing work like that on yourself will start to being you peace.

[Shutterbug65 in reply to Hidden]

I know, I’m terribly alone. I’m stuck in a life of living in the past. I often think of all the people I once knew. How carefree and happy I used to be. Now I worry about every conceivable thing that can go wrong. I wake up and immediately I’m flooded with fear and anxiety. On the weekends I spend the mornings pacing around the house unable to get anything done.

What is the codependency work book? And how can it help?

[Hidden in reply to Shutterbug65]

It is a workbook on the 12 steps, if you have heard of them. This workbook is published by codependents anonymous. You will go through a spiritual transition, you will identify things about yourself that you didn’t realize. It will help get you unstuck.

[Hollick in reply to Shutterbug65]

YES shutter it is common..

[hunter4ransom]

Mornings are hell for me too Shutterbug. Our bodies naturally produce cortisol (the stress hormone released by the adrenal glands) upon wakening in the morning. It is usually triggered by the sun coming up which alerts our bodies it’s wake up time. However, when you suffer severe anxiety (like we do) that tiny push of cortisol in the mornings triggers massive anxiety and panicked thoughts. Then this becomes our new normal and our bodies just naturally go there every morning hence why morning anxiety is so common. My psychologist explained this to me and it made perfect sense. Even though I’m on medication for anxiety and in therapy, I struggle every morning upon awakening. The racing heart, ice cold squeezing feeling in chest, nausea, shaking, overwhelming negative thoughts with worst case scenario outcomes, dry mouth, and utter dread and despair. It sucks!!!! It makes bedtime hard because I know what I have to wake up to.

I realized I need structure/routine to my day. I’m a Paraeducator and have been on summer break with no structure, no routine, no money, and too much time to obsess and worry. My psychologist told me that as soon as I wake up, get out of bed and have something planned to do. I used to just go back to sleep and that would start that horrid wake up anxiety over and over. I force myself out of bed every morning and take my dogs outside to potty while I water my garden. I come back in and clean kitchen and make breakfast. I plan for dinner while I eat breakfast, writing down what I have on hand and what I need. If I’m still having bad anxiety after that, I take the dogs for a walk or I walk by myself.

I have started feeling much better earlier in the day by forcing myself into a morning routine. I go back to work in 2 weeks which will change up what is currently working, but any structured routine is good.

Hang in there friend. It’s not your fault you feel this way. Anxiety is an illness that is life sucking and painful. There is hope and so many options for help in overcoming this illness. Coming here, sharing your struggles, and allowing us in to encourage, support, and care for you is a great start.

You are never alone in this struggle. Many of us are fighting along side you.

❤️Eileen

[Shutterbug65 in reply to hunter4ransom]

Eileen. I wrote a response back to you but i didn’t hit reply first. I do this a lot, lol. It’s in here, I hope you read it.

[Shutterbug65]

Thank you Eileen. My mornings are simply horrible. I thank God I have a job to go to. You described your routine and your right, having some kind of structure in the mornings is important. I’m also in meds for anxiety. But the weekends are the worst, I awake with nothing to do and the negative thoughts and what if thinking just take hold. And it doesn’t help that I feel so lonely. I also feel like a failure, that somehow my life and the emptiness I feel is my fault. I always had social anxiety which over time caused me to become more and more isolated. So now this is the life I’m left with.

You seem to be able to cope by having structure, but it doesn’t work for me. On the days I’m off, I do a lot of pacing around in the morning, asking somebody to please help me. I know that sounds crazy. And I don’t get a lot accomplished. But as the day wears on I begin to feel better. Writing this response has made me feel better.

Thank you again Eileen for sharing your story with me.

[hunter4ransom in reply to Shutterbug65]

You don’t sound crazy at all. I talk to my anxiety in the mornings sometimes. It’s like a bully who won’t stop tormenting me. I tell it I’ve heard its stories many times and the physical feelings are just chemical reactions in my body and that I’m in not danger. Instead of avoiding and wishing it away (which I used to do) I face it, tell it what I think, and try my hardest to bully it back and let it know I’m in control.

I felt odd and pointless when trying this technique at first, but after doing it a few times I realized it worked much better than avoiding and pleading with it to go away.

As I write this I’m in the throws of my usual morning anxiety as it’s 8:45am here and I’ve been up 45min. Do I still have anxiety with all techniques I’m trying? Yes, but to a much lesser degree. It is my hope to keep on this path until I’m fully in charge and anxiety is tiny harmless shadow in the background.

I hope you are having good day and find some activity that gives you joy this weekend. Having something to look forward to (a favorite TV show, a good meal, a cup of coffee or tea at a comforting cafe, blasting your favorite songs while singing or dancing along to them, reaching out here, watching YouTube videos about overcoming anxiety ....) takes anxiety’s power away.

I’m not sure of your time zone, but I’m in WA and almost always around in the mornings (until school starts) if you need to chat. We can talk each other through our morning hell.

☀️Eileen

[Choccymilk0807]

Hello, I also have these same issues in my life of the overwhelming anxiety and feeling restless left alone with your thoughts. Have you tried a creative outlet? I’ve been getting really into writing, drawing, coloring in adult coloring books etc just anything that you can do and put focus on to distract those intrusive and anxious thoughts. I am always here if you need anyone to talk to.

[Shutterbug65 in reply to Choccymilk0807]

Hi. I’m sorry for the delayed response. Yes my passion is photography, I love to post my images on Instagram. Now it about 6:30 pm and I feel fine. But I know the cycle will restart again early tomorrow morning (around 5:00) and last all morning really. It’s like all my problems, what if thinking, my feelings of loneliness and despair all come together at the same time. Every Morning just to make me miserable. I just want it to stop. I’m drained emotionally and fatigued most of the day.

I’m glad you can combat this by using a creative outlet. Photography helps me to stay in the moment and concentrate on creating a photograph.

Thank you~~Don.

[Hidden in reply to Shutterbug65]

Hi Don, you are not alone. All of my biggest worries and fears come together in the morning. It is a very unpleasant experience, and exhausting. I listen to podcasts by the anxiety guy and try to slow my breathing, get centered. It’s very difficult.