Terrible morning anxiety please help

[SXB]

Thank you for reading my message - I have GAD which I am mostly on top of with medication, therapy and CBT but one thing I cannot seem to budge is the morning anxiety which wakes me up at 5.00am every morning - my mind trips right into scary thinking worrying and sometimes very black thoughts that I cannot cope - I lie there until about 6.50 when I have to get up for work - can anybody offer me advice things that have worked for them I am desperate - thank you

[BlueIris]

I tend to wake up at 5am, so I do empathise.

I know this is a stupid question, but could you grab your phone and get yourself absorbed in a game or E-book? That's my go-to strategy.

[SXB]

I could certainly try that - thank you

[SXB]

Does anybody have any more advice ?

[YoullNeverWalkAlone]

Hi SXB....

I can totally sympathise with you on this as I’m going through the same thing again at the moment, wake around 5 to 5.30, body tingling, feeling very nervous and churning tummy, also like you my mind can go to some scary places and it’s constant.
I will try and go back to sleep but if I can’t I don’t lie there and dwell on my thoughts as it just makes everything worse, so I get up, go make a cuppa, have a look on my iPad and play a game, then I will go have a shower and get dressed, do a couple of little jobs, it breaks the spell, you will find the anxiety will come down even if it’s only a little, which it won’t do if you just stew in bed....

Has the anxiety been up more lately, are you worrying about anything in particular, that’s when I find this problem arises with me.

Its only a temporary thing and will eventually pass, but the more you worry about the longer it lasts, cause you go to bed with it on your mind....

Try the above suggestion and don’t just lie there worrying and struggling....xxx

[SXB]

Thank you so much I will try that advice I know staying in bed makes it worse but I also can’t seem to get up I seem stuck to my bed - but I will make a big effort tomorrow morning to get up as you suggest - it seems to have got worse since my eldest left to go travelling on his gap year last week - mother worries !!! I really appreciate you getting back to me

[ErinKC]

I feel your pain! When my anxiety is heightened 5am is also the witching hour for me.

I agree with the advice to get right up. The cortisol coursing through your body will find an outlet in physically moving and help calm the anxiety. It’s not easy getting up at 5am, but I bet if you hop out of bed, get in the shower, and settle yourself down for a quiet morning before everyone else gets up it might actually prove calming.

Some other things that have worked for me:

If I wake with racing thoughts, if they’re tangible things, I’ll get up and write them down on a list - like things I’m worried about and what I can do to address them during the day. That helps take the thoughts out of my head and put them on the paper instead so I can let myself stop thinking.

Another is to count. It sounds silly, but my brain is so overrun right now preparing for the bar exam, that sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and can’t stop thinking about the law. So I make myself count 1-2 to my breathing and it stops my rampant thoughts.

[jojo2316]

My go-to is podcasts

[Scass]

Definitely don’t just lay there. If you’re going to be awake you may as well be reading or playing a game on your phone. Or listen to a podcast like! Enjoy that time to yourself, make it a special thing rather than a doom thing.

[jackieann3]

What if you don't lay in bed and get up and do all these things but still the same ,the only difference is if I get up and start doing things I feel I can't breath all the more and panic more, been fighting these feelings for over a year now any other advice anyone, thank you .

[Lencoboy]

What if you don't lay in bed and get up and do all these things but still the same ,the only difference is if I get up and start doing things I feel I can't breath all the more and panic more, been fighting these feelings for over a year now any other advice anyone, thank you .

I guess in that case you're basically damned if you do and damned if you don't.

[SXB]

I have an update on this post and thank you for all of your advice I saw my care worker and he suggested uping my olanzapine which I did and if by magic my morning are calm again the power of drugs - fingers crossed it will last - thank you for all your advice and support

[Jimmy M]

Hi @SXB I also take olanzapine. Been on it a good few years and think it works well for me mostly. I'm only on 5mg can I ask what dosage you take? I've wondered about asking gp to increase mine in past but I'm worried about potential for more weight gain...It does seem to make me feel mega hungry. I take it for GAD also along with sertraline.

[SXB]

Hi @SXB I also take olanzapine. Been on it a good few years and think it works well for me mostly. I'm only on 5mg can I ask what dosage you take? I've wondered about asking gp to increase mine in past but I'm worried about potential for more weight gain...It does seem to make me feel mega hungry. I take it for GAD also along with sertraline.
Hi Jimmy, yes of course happy to tell you - I am on 5mg at night but I have been up as high at 10mg when needed I have always found that it works very well for me. Agreed weight gain is problem and I am struggling with that atm. I also take Venlafaxine as well which I also find really helpful. Hope that helps,