Tips for morning Anxiety??

[geordie_paul]

Morning peeps.

I just wanted to see how othe ron here deal with morning Anxiety? I always wake up and I think the first thing I ask myself is "how do I feel" and the answer that alwats comes back is tense, up tight, tired and I feel sick!! I am sure you all have similar experince? I would love to here if anyone has any techniques for dealign with this? i am sure if I could start the day better and without anxiety the rest of the day would be easier to deal with?


Thanks

Paul

[Em.ma]

Well on work mornings I get up 5:30am. Make a cuppa. Pack my lunch (sandwich), eat breakfast, shower, dress, hair and go. No time to think or be anxious until th evening when I have thinking time.
On non work mornings it's harder (I'm off this week) and so far I've got up had a cuppa, ate breakfast and now in bed worrying over things as I nothing to do till lunchtime when in going clothes shopping. So I know what you mean. I guess you have to put things in place to distract your self. It's hard though x
I'm also going for a bike ride later this afternoon for some much needed distraction woo.

[geordie_paul]

I have taken up cycling in a big way to relax but last week i had a panic attack while on a long ride on a hot day. It was prob triggered by dehydration/exhaustion but now I am scared to go back out on the bike!! Annoying!

[Em.ma]

Oh that's not good. Just tell your self it was from the heat and exercise. Nothing to worry about that's how we feel after exercise :)
Don't let it put you off x

[joseph83]

I would suggest jumping straight out of bed as soon as you wake up. It's the only thing that works for me! Good luck!

[HoneyLove]

Paul I used to have really bad morning anxiety, but over time I've learned how to deal with it, so here are some suggestions for you :)

- don't lie in bed feeling anxious, just get up and get busy with your morning
- eat something as soon as you wake, I used to keep a banana on my bedstand to eat asap, it will give you a blood sugar boost which can really help, then eat your breakfast as soon as you can
- put on some music, make a playlist of your favourite feel good songs
- try a little meditation, it will help you calm down
- or try a stress relief CD, I used one that comes with a book called Control Stress by Paul McKenna and really like it, it puts you in a good mood for the day
- you could also try a small bit of simple yoga, I find this really helps me feel good if I'm not having a good morning, I just learned a couple of simple moves from Youtube

Try a couple of these things and see if they help you feel a bit better.

[CharlieM]

I can relate to this so much. I sleep well and only really get any respite from my symptoms while I am asleep.

As soon as I wake up, I feel fine. No pain and no butterflies. Within an hour of waking though, wham!! Butterflies, big strong ones in my tummy and chest. Then the pain and discomfort in my left arm starts.

This happens every day. It doesn't seem to matter what I am doing. Some days, I stay in bed during the first hour, sometimes I am up and out of the house. But, either way the anxiety and pain return.

Just wish I could find a solution to it.

Charlie

[HoneyLove]

Charlie, how soon do you eat your breakfast after you wake up? And how long a gap is there between when you eat your last meal and then go to sleep at night? Do you ever tend to have a glass of wine or a better before you go to sleep?

[Spot-the-frog]

I think the best thing is to get up when you wake up. Lying in bed just gives you too much time to overthink things.

I am off work sick at the moment, my partner brings me a cup of tea in bed before he goes to work at 7am. I have that, take my meds, write my diary, check my phone and then get up. I do 30 minutes of exercise most days, then have breakfast. Jump into shower and then I either do some simple tasks, or read, go on laptop and decide what I am going to do for the rest of the day. Try to keep occupied, I used to lie in bed or sit and stare into space and it does make you feel worse. The effort sometimes just to get out of bed and do something is really hard. Also, eat regularly, drink lots of water, do relaxation/meditation, do some exercise - even a 10 minute walk or some gardening is better than nothing.

[Shivmarie]

i get this too! even after a good sleep and i wake up and go "oh am i gonna have a fuzzy head and mind chatter today" then i lay in bed for a while before getting up just thinking, im deffo going to stop doing that and put the radio on, get ready for work and go go go.

[CharlieM]

Honeylove,

I eat my evening meal about 3-4 hours before going to bed. Breakfast is a bit of an issue for me. I tend to just have a yogurt or a banana. And some days I forget. I usually have what I do eat within the hour of waking up.

As for wine/alcohol, I try and limit myself to a couple of glasses three times a week. If my anxiety is bad, I do drink a bit more, but I also drink loads of water all day and before I have the wine.

[geordie_paul]

Thanks guys! I do tend to wake up before the alarm at about 6.30 so i think i may just get up instead of trying to snooze untill 7. Gotta have a good heathly breakfast or i dont last very long :p

[HoneyLove]

Honeylove,

I eat my evening meal about 3-4 hours before going to bed. Breakfast is a bit of an issue for me. I tend to just have a yogurt or a banana. And some days I forget. I usually have what I do eat within the hour of waking up.

As for wine/alcohol, I try and limit myself to a couple of glasses three times a week. If my anxiety is bad, I do drink a bit more, but I also drink loads of water all day and before I have the wine.

Charlie I think that you may find if you focus on having a proper breakfast that it will really help the anxiety that comes on in the morning time.

Skipping breakfast or just having a little bit to eat can definitely be a contributing factor, and I notice this myself the mornings I leave it a few hours to have breakfast. It's a bad idea for anyone, and especially if you suffer with anxiety.

The issue is with your blood sugars. If they are low they can cause all kinds of weird symptoms, including anxiety and panic attacks. Some of us are more sensitive to these lows and will feel it more than others, and I believe a lot of us here with anxiety are those sensitive types! Naturally they are low in the morning time and it's really important to have something good to eat as soon as we can after we wake - especially if we have anxiety issues.

If you have alcohol before you sleep this can cause a normal blood sugar high, but then a low comes after it - and if you don't eat then this compounds the problem. I'm not saying don't drink, but maybe avoid it before bedtime and make sure that you eat something decent when you wake up.

Try two weeks eating a good breakfast within the hour that you wake up, and see if it helps you. Try to include a mid morning snack if you can. Have something substantial to eat like a bowl of cereal and some toast - yogurt or fruit alone is not enough to give your brain and body fuel.

Don't underestimate how powerful the effect of our blood sugars can be! If I forget to eat and let them drop I can experience a range of things like anxiety, paranoia, depression and confusion so it's just good sense to take care of my body :)

[geordie_paul]

I agree! i eat a bowl of porridge with a banana every morning if i can. But i find if i dont eat lunch before 1ish I start to feel sick and dizzy and that can lead to a panic attack. So i try to have a healhy mid morning snack or have lunch around 12!