morning anxiety- please help

[Ethansmom]

I wake up every morning anxious. My heart is beating fast and I feel shaking (until I take my Klonopin). Then I usually sit on the couch and do some deep breathing while my son gets ready for school. I'm on medication (Citalopram), and I just can't seem to beat this anxiety. I feel like it's with me most of the morning and on and off throughout the work day. I starting exercising again.

I'm just feeling down about the morning anxiety. I feel like I am going to have a panic attack every morning, but seem to talk myself down from it. I try to tell myself this is anxiety and nothing else. Does anyone else suffer from morning anxiety. Do you take medication? How do you cope?

[Kuatir]

It's so common. You've been (hopefully) nice and asleep, the meds have worn off and then your body decides it's time to wake up. So here's a dose of stress hormones to wake you up. Bam! You're awake and shaking. Then you take your meds and do your breathing and things might improve, but you've got the everyday stresses of the school run and then work that keeps you in and out of the anxiety throughout the day.

How do I cope? Well accepting the anxiety helps. Concentrating on the job at hand works. Breathing and muscle exercises throughout the day. It might not seem like it, but over time things do get better, it's a long slog though!

[Hollow]

Mornings are definitely worst for anxiety, what i find is eating breakfast asap after waking up helps and i also take a vitamin b-50 complex, not sure if that helps tbh.

[Ethansmom]

Thank you both for your quick and thoughtful replies. I just can't wait for the day where I wake up in a peaceful state. You're right though, the stress hormones kick in after a nice blissful sleep. I'm suddenly awakened by an alarm and a list of things I need to do for the day. First thing is get my 6 year old boy ready for school! I so hate popping pills to feel better. It makes me feel like i'm a total failure.

My goal is to take one day at a time and not to over think my anxiety. I'm accepting it. This is just how my body reacts, and probably will for a very long time. Some days I can believe it, other days I can't. Weekends seem to be a bit better.

[snowghost57]

My anxiety is worse in the morning as well, so I can relate. What I do is get my day started as soon as I wake up. I have had days where I sit around in my pj's and get nothing done. I'm currently looking for a job and it's a very big stressor for me.

You are not a total failure for taking medication to help you.

You say that weekends are better, what makes them different from your other days of the week?