Waking up anxious

[Amt17]

Does anyone else wake up and start feeling anxious immediately? If so, what methods help you cope and deal with it? Would be nice to be able to sleep in a bit and not wake up super anxious!

[xsor]

Hey lovely every morning I don’t really cope very well with it so sorry I’m not much help have u tried a meditation that sometime works for me xx

[BrainIsFull]

Hi. I have anxiety and depression so I could sleep all day if I let myself but then I would wake up and feel anxious and guilty about it.😖

I have to get up.most days so I set my alarm. I feel depressed/anxious/dreary right when I wake up. I feel so weary that I have to do yet another day. So I wrote a little morning manta together with my therapist and I have been reading it each morning. (It says something like: "Even though I am having these feelings, I am getting up. These feelings are okay. Many people have them. This isn't a catastrophe. I will help you-me, talking to me😀- get through the day. You are not alone"). This is my attempt at changing my negative morning mindset. I've only been doing it for a week so time will tell if it helps. (I tead that it takes like 3 months for something to become a habit so I guess I havecto commit for 3 months.

Maybe something along these lines could help you?💚

[Amt17 in reply to BrainIsFull]

I just started a morning mantra today and will keep continuing it too to see if it helps! “I am focused on the present in this moment I am healthy, happy and safe”. It did seem to work. I do need to work on my intrusive thoughts and am really going to try!! I also just switched from celexa to Zoloft so waiting for that to kick in, and I’m going to call my therapist that I haven’t needed in a while to try and get in! Thank you for the support and writing—-we can do this!!! ❤️

[BrainIsFull in reply to Amt17]

Great! Maybe we can keep each other on track and really try to stick with the mantras for 3 months?

[Amt17 in reply to BrainIsFull]

Yes! I did it for about 30 minutes this morning and it really did help. And going to try and keep it going when I feel anxious (which until my new meds kick in will most likely be off and on every day)

[Arymretep]

Hi, yes I do , it starts as soon as I open my eyes, I find that deep breathing helps a lot to settle me , and also to think, This too will pass, take care

Hope Zoloft helps you, unfortunately my stomach wouldn’t tolerate it 👎

[Amt17 in reply to Arymretep]

Only on day 4-my stomachs still a bit off but it tastes 1-2 weeks for side effects to really go away. I’ll give it a go for at least a month and hopefully my GI system will come back to normal! That’s the hardest part with SSRI’s-it gets worse before it gets better so a lot of people will quit (completely understandable given how cruddy you feel, as this is me right now) but I’m hoping it’ll work! Thank you!! I hope you’re having a good day today 😊

[Arymretep in reply to Amt17]

I do hope Zoloft work for you, I was warned about the side effects but I have problems with my stomach anyway and they made it much worse and you can’t take my stomach meds with them , did you have side effects with celexa meds because of side effects , good luck 👍

[Chase888]

Yes. The morning is the worst always but some days I get up, have a bath and clean. I live for those days.

[Rizo1]

Hi. I'm exactly the same as soon as i wake up. The dread and nerves kick in. I do Deep breaths for a few minutes to try to calm myself. I also go on my Exercise bike that I have at home and put my music on headphones. Try to distract. It's not easy. As I'm crying all the time. But doing something active even having a walk is helpful I find. Take care. I know it's awful.

[Amt17 in reply to Rizo1]

It is! But I know it’s just going to be a phase-even though in the moment it doesn’t feel like it. Sometimes crying helps to just get it out and can make me feel a little better. I did call my old therapist to try and get in, and have a bunch of other tools such as this-being able to talk to others who experience the same thing helps so much and means so much! Everyone on here has been so great too, makes me feel very appreciative of this community. I normally workout 4-5 days a week doing cardio, weights and HIIT but with my anxiety being what it is lately I’ve been scared to-because I’m afraid I’ll feel anxious because of the increased heart rate and such from working out can be related to anxiety feeling (how silly but anxiety brain is real!) However a goal for today is to go for a walk as it’s finally nice out (I live in Maine) and the sun is shining. I hope you have a good day and take care-and I’m here if you need to talk!

[Rizo1 in reply to Amt17]

Thank you so much. I understand exactly what you mean. It's a horrible feeling with the heart racing. So exercising contributes to that. I get bit shakey after working out. But feel more on edge thinking about everything. So getting on my bike and playing music distracts even though I'm crying while doing it usually. Well done on getting out for a walk. I find that really helpful. Being out in nature its a chance to calm down. Im worse when im inside for some reason. It sounds lovely where you are. Have a good day and enjoy your walk. Take care. Hope to chat soon again

[Byoung]

I have the exact same problem. My anxiety is often off the charts in the morning, but it seems to ease off as the day goes by. By evening, I'm not anxious at all. I have an appointment with my primary care doc and I'm going to ask him to run lab tests on anything that may be contributing to my morning anxiety. Sorry, I couldn't offer any solutions, but just know that you are not alone in this.

[Amt17 in reply to Byoung]

So, cortisol levels peak in the AM-and those are called the cortisol awakening response (CAR) for short. So for those of us that have higher levels of anxiety and stress it can be more elevated in the am, causing us to wake up anxious. That could be one cause if you’re more stressed than normal your body releases more cortisol. It’s a vicious cycle! I hope that your doc can find something that may help, and maybe some labs can offer some more answers ❤️

[Renee52 in reply to Byoung]

Let me know what kind of tests the Dr runs. I suffer from bad morning anxiety

[Renee52]

Yes..I have dealt with morning anxiety since I was a kid. Coffee doesn't help..but I still drink it. I have found pushing through and getting out of the house helps. I also do breathing exercises. Keep a journal and note specifically when you have a great day. You can go back and read it to remind yourself that better days are ahead and anxiety does go away.

[JkBauer]

Good afternoon,I used to have that problem years ago. I learned two things that even help me today. 1). Before I go to bed the night before I prepare myself by setting my clothes out that I want to wear the next I make tomorrow's list of to-do's. Then, I get myself ready for bed and make myself a cup of hot chamomile tea (my favorite is honey vanilla) and then I go into the living room with my husband and we watch a family-related tv show together ( no harsh, violent, foul-mouthed language, horrific shows) just good family-oriented, (sometimes we will even just watch the home and garden channel). We go to bed around ten every night. Then, after I have finished with my tea and I do not feel like sleeping quite yet, I lay there in the quiet and just talk to God in my mind...shortly after, I do not know, but I have fallen asleep for the night. 2). The other thing that I have learned is that in the morning, we all choose how our day will go. (If you are anxious first thing in the morning, most likely that is how your day will follow.) I have decided to choose every morning, I wake up and just say; "Good Morning Father!" as positive as I can be. My day could be the worst day but, I know that I woke up with a positive attitude and I am going to do the best and be the best possible me that I can be. God Bless You!

[Phil1234]

Waking up feeling good seems a like distant memory for me now. So I totally sympathise. I am going to attend a support group in person tomorrow which I’m hoping will help.

Good luck with your mornings 👍