Do you wake up anxious?
A few weeks ago an event occurred that has triggered my anxiety issues. (High stress issues typically do it for me, but after a few days, things get better.) This event was pretty big for me, so my anxiety has become long-lasting. As the days have gone by I've gotten better, but it has taken a toll on my sleep.
When I wake up in the morning, I automatically start getting anxious. Not extreme. But that adrenaline rush of nervousness sets in. I could have had the best night before and have amazing, positive plans for the day. But this small anxiety attack keeps hitting me in the morning and it's frustrating.
Does this happen to anyone else, and if so, how do you deal with it?
@thoughtfulmomma hi there. I totally understand where you are coming from and I'm sorry this is something you have to deal with. I have personally dealt with this before too. Nothing's worse in the morning than waking up and instead of feeling peace you feel anxiety or dread and sometime's you can't even put your finger on it, despite being able to acknowledging it. What I do is I have a body pillow that is next to me in the morning so if I feel anxious I can hug it and remind myself that I am safe and here in the now (it's a good mindfulness grounding exercise to have a comfort object or something that keeps you connected to the present and not in your anxiety) or another thing I have is a soft shirt from my boyfriend, or I wake up take my time getting ready in the morning and play relaxing music. When you have mornings like these, focus on you and don't feel bad for taking your time. Know that you're safe and that you're stronger than you think you are for waking up and going thru every morning in the past and having that lingering sense of anxiety become less and less apparent as the day goes by. I wish you all the best.
@duate Thanks! It's funny you mention grabbing something comforting to ground - I actually have...okay, I'm going to admit it, even though I'm a much older adult that shouldn't have it (but who cares!)... I have a stuffed animal on my bed. LOL But it's a comfort for me, and sometimes when I have trouble sleeping, I give it a hug and feel better and then I can fall asleep.
I don't know if it's something subconscious that goes back to when I was a child, and having the comfort of a stuffed animal in bed. Who knows. It's silly to admit, but it works. My husband laughs about it, but he knows it makes me happy, so there it stays. :)
@thoughtfulmomma that's so sweet! I don't think anyone is too old to have a stuffed animal esp if it meant there was sentimental value or comfort behind it. Maybe writing out your next day tasks may help you wake up and feel more in control of the day. I also like to have a blackboard calender and each day I write down what I got done and maybe my mood or sleep, it feels rewarding to see your progress! I'm wishing you all the best!
@duate The first few weeks I couldn't get anything accomplished. Today was actually the first day that I took control of things and got several tasks done. And it felt good. I'm also forcing myself to get out daily, even if it's just a few minutes out to get the car washed or go to the dollar store.
@thoughtfulmomma that's amazing! Little things at a time even getting out for fresh air, it helps with mood and energy! I hope this upcoming week, you feel the same empowerment! :)
@duate Thanks! I'm having up and down moments, and these past few mornings have all been filled with that weird wake-up anxiety. But, I'm pushing through it. I know that with the holiday season coming up, the stress of getting everything together is going to push my anxiety further, so if I don't get it together now, these next couple of months are going to be extra rough.
I laugh as I write this, because, well - I can only laugh about it. :)
I've had a mostly positive weekend and this week looks to be good, too, so I'm planning on pushing myself to have more mindfulness moments and be more present so the anxiety of "what if X happens" doesn't ruin things.
I hope you have a great week, too!
@thoughtfulmomma I'm currently having this problem, actually. My anxiety was triggered pretty badly a little over a month ago and I started waking up with higher than normal levels of anxiety, which made it easier for other things to make me feel anxious throughout the day. It started to improve, but I still hadn't quite gotten over it, which may have contributed to my current problem. Something triggered my anxiety badly again last week, and I have been waking up feeling very anxious, which makes me start thinking about the reason why I'm anxious, and it just starts a horrible cycle. Even if I have calmed down a bit by bedtime, it just starts again in the morning.
Honestly, it is very difficult for me to deal with and I haven't really found anything that helps a whole lot. I have started doing some logic puzzles at night though, which seems to distract my brain enough to lower the anxiety a bit. So perhaps that's the answer. Maybe we just need to occupy our brains with other things. Although, I suppose finding the right thing isn't always easy.
@sporkchop I agree about distracting our brains. I'm a puzzle fiend :) and really just like playing games in general. I used to fall asleep with the TV on - that has been a comfort to me for decades. But that disturbs my husband's sleep. So now I have headphones and listen to music, or stories, or meditation-type things. That has helped a lot to fall asleep. It's just the waking thing that's awful. It's getting better, but it just takes a lot out of me.
@thoughtfulmomma I get you. I've been hitting my snooze button way too much lately just to avoid the anxiety for a little longer. It seems like it's taking over my life lately.
Yesterday I woke to little to no anxiety. Today, a decent amount of anxiety. I don't know why. Frustrating! And tiring, of course. But, I'm going to plot out my day and make some progress on things. Maybe I'll be able to shake myself out of these anxious feelings with some hard work. Makes me want to go rake some leaves or do some other yard work!
@thoughtfulmomma Yeah I can wake up so anxious that I'm hungry but can't swallow anything because of the nausea. It hasn't happened in a few weeks but all it takes is a stressful day sometimes and it comes back. I have to wait an hour or more for it to go away before I can eat.
Yes although i tend to wake up slightly numb or feeling competely at peace and i can feel the anxiety break through within a couple of mins of waking up :( it doesnt happen all the time but ive had it happen three times in the past two weeks due to a couple of recent high stress situations that have come about within weeks of each other. I find having a funny playlist on youtube to watch straight away helps as well as hugging a pillow or just putting on the tv to the news or a programme i like @thoughtfulmomma
i dont have a stuffed toy but i do have my doll louise that ive had for nearly 20 years - she freaks my partner out but shes allowed to stay in the room as long as shes out of his eyesight lol! (i currently keep her in the drawer under my side of the bed when im sleeping then bring her out if i need to calm myself @Flowerlils9526