Anxiety in the morning

[Gillyflower18]

Anybody have that feeling like you can’t quite catch your breath? It’s so unsettling and seems to come out of nowhere. I’ve been waking up with it

[happy_kitty]

I get the same thing, though not necessarily in the morning. I get it more often when I’m under a lot of stress. Is there anything that’s been giving you a hard time lately?

[Gillyflower18 in reply to happy_kitty]

Not sleeping well and having to make it through the day at work. Sometimes it all feels so pointless and hopeless ☹️

[happy_kitty in reply to Gillyflower18]

I don’t know where you work but if it’s possible for you to take a day off or take a sick day/mental health day I would suggest doing so. Just take some time to relax and do something you enjoy.

Also I find when I can’t sleep that meditating for just a few minutes before bed helps me calm down and I am able to sleep better. There was an app that I used for a while called ‘headspace’ I found it was a great tool for getting started.

Best of luck! I hope you get better soon.

[happy_kitty in reply to Gillyflower18]

Keep your chin up - it will get better

I believe that everything happens for a reason and even if you don’t see it something good will come out of this

[Ragdoll15]

Yes, I mostly get it when I am dozzing off to sleep. Its quite scary.

[Kat63]

Morning is usually the worst time for me. For a while there, I was extremely anxious every morning and had panic attacks 3 or 4 times a week. I’ve noticed I’m doing better since I no longer live alone.

[Sober2007]

I usually have more anxiety in the morning as well. This morning, remembering what someone else said in reply to another post a few days ago, I tried spending 5 minutes or so doing deep breathing exercises right before getting out of bed. That seemed to help some, at least for a little while, then i started feeling anxious again when I got to work. So I opened this app on my phone called Pacifica and used a few of the tools there - in particular, a positive affirmation tool that lets you record a reminder to yourself that plays back to you in combination with a breathing exercise. I've found it helpful. The important thing to remember is that the anxiety will pass in time if we learn to accept it for what it is and not get more worked up about it. I'm trying to do this daily and what I'm finding is that the anxiety lessens in a little while and I end up being OK. But it's no fun when it's happening, that's for sure. I'm thinking of trying to give up caffeine too - I drink coffee in the morning and I think it may be contributing to the anxiety.

[Gillyflower18 in reply to Sober2007]

Thanks I just got home from work. I’m going to check out Pacifica. I already do meditation and breathing exercises in the morning and they do help. I just get so frustrated with the whole mess.

[Joyatlast51]

I have the same thing. It sometimes passes, but it can come as wave after wave of anxiety and dizziness. Like being off balance.

[kateba]

Mornings are always the toughest for me because when morning comes the first thing I think about is I have another day to get through and what am i going to do. I'm retired and have no family. A few good friends but I hardly ever see them. Evenings are better for me. I watch some TV then lay on the couch for awhile, then go to bed.

[Gillyflower18 in reply to kateba]

I retired too but had to go back to work. I only have a sister I don’t see often and not a lot of friends either so I can really sympathize with you. My evenings are better too

[Hidden]

Yes. It feels like a major earthquake in my insides, palpitations, ringing in the ears a feeling of gloom and doom, that something bad is going to happen. My doctor changed my medication recently from Lexapro to Zoloft. Something is not right, though. I’m out of the country right now and I don’t want to see a foreign doctor or start on new medication. I understand how you feel.