Early morning anxiety

I am new here and wonder if anyone has ideas for dealing with early morning anxiety. I have always been a worrier but in the last four years it has turned into anxiety which starts up every morning when I wake and can be quite debilitating. It sometimes clears off quite quickly but can also persist all day. I also have IBS which is stress related so it is a sort of vicious circle. I have sought advice and tried hynotherapy which helped for a bit. I then saw a psychiatrist who was very supportive - he prescribed Pregabalin which did not help and caused me difficulties coming off it. He also suggested CBT and I had six sessions with a very good practitioner but, whilst she could pinpoint the causes, she could not really suggest what to do about the daily early morning anxiety. I too know what causes it. Amongst other things I have concerns about my husband's health - he knows and we can discuss it quite openly so I am lucky in that. I don't wake up thinking of those things and quite often there is no obvious reason for my anxiety.

I also get very anxious if, for example, my husband is delayed on his way home and I am inclined to think the worst and my imagination runs riot!

This is not a good time of year for me and this year I am feeling quite dispirited because, despite the efforts I felt I had made to help myself, I have to admit that CBT was a disappointment.

[Hidden]

Hello

I know we have spoken before and pleased to see you posting on here and I really hope when members log on they will give you a warm welcome

I cannot really add much to what replied in the Welcome post except I know I have tried things before and they didn't seem to work but I tried several times and withe each time the outcome was better so it maybe worth looking at CBT again

Take Care x

[Cwoods]

I've heard alot og good things about cbt maybe trying again would be worth it. Like me too i am a worrier it sucks that we always think the worse but try to keep positive. I hope everything works out for u.

[Cwoods]

Ooh i also find that I get anxiety early only if im to work if im off then im fine still trying to find some control for that.

[Hidden]

Morning Brandywell,

I have some severe symptoms myself in the morning. What I do is not watch the news in the morning, I watch something funny like Married with Children and I kiss my wife good morning, eat breakfast, fart 💨 before I get in my car. Play some good music. Think how I’m going to beat the computer or person in Madden, exercise, fix dinner and watch movies, and a little news and spend the rest of my time with my Beautiful wife.

[Hidden]

Hi there ~ good to hear from you again .Well as I told you before I also suffer with early morning anxiety. When you wake with that awful feeling of dread just say to yourself " look I know what this is ~I am safe in my home so just go away anxiety and leave me alone " I have little worry dolls I hold onto as well in times of distress. Even having a few sips of water might help as well ~something to distract you. Wishing you well today 😊

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Thank you all for your helpful suggestions. I had a bad day yesterday but today is better. I am reluctant to try CBT again. I have tried with two practitioners - the first was not very helpful but the second was helpful and I enjoyed seeing her - she has good credentials and is very experienced. However she did not really come up with a strategy for dealing with the anxiety. In reading about CBT I found the comment that it was hard work and might involve homework came up frequently. This was not my experience although I would have been happy if it had been. The point was also made tbat CBT is not for everyone.

[mastershay1]

I kept waking up early (5-6 hours of sleep) with intense mental and physical anxiety for over 6 months and resolved it by taking lots of electrolytes. I felt better within days. Pedialyte is a popular brand but has lots of sugar, Tippy Toes is a rival brand and I'm guessing other brands and the powders could work too. I'm not sure if it was a specific ingredient or not. This is after having gone to various doctors and tried all kinds of supplements, and nothing worked up until the electrolytes. Maybe this will help someone else.