Morning Anxiety – When You Can’t Face the Day.
If the sound of your alarm fills you with dread in the morning, read on…this will help you.
Do you start your day feeling anxious for a particular worry in the day ahead, or is it perhaps a general non-specific ‘on edge’ feeling that you can’t shake? It can seem the hardest thing ever can’t it, to drag yourself out of bed when your mum is nagging at you, and every minute more that you make yourself late adds to the pressure you already feel to get out the door.
Morning anxiety is something I’m asked to help with a lot. In my teens, I would wake up anxious every morning. Take it from me, now there’s no better feeling than starting your day feeling in control and on top of things most of the time.
Why is Anxiety So Strong in the Mornings?
Whilst you sleep your body is working really hard as it checks all your systems and regenerates your cells. All this uses up vital hormones and nutrients, which can cause brain chemicals and blood sugar levels to dip by morning.
Did you know that it is only your conscious mind that sleeps?
Whilst you sleep your subconscious mind is working hard to process all the information and angst you have had in your day. When you learn the right strategies to cope better with all the stress, worries and upsets as they happen in your day, you’ll make it possible for you to feel more confident and on top of things every day when you wake up.
Eating the carbohydrates before you sleep and when you wake can really help with anxiety levels too. I’d recommend that you experiment with which ‘carby’ snacks help you most.
You might notice that your anxiety levels get worse when you’ve had a lot of coffee or alcohol? Artificial sweeteners in fizzy drinks and energy drinks can stir up the nervous system, so it’s a good idea to keep these down too.
When you get up chances are you do the same thing every morning. Have you ever noticed that you tend to think the same thoughts? Waking up feeling anxious has probably become a habit too.
How to Create a Different Habit and Shift Morning Anxiety
One that allows you to wake up softly without the jarring sound of an irritating alarm, one that gives you plenty of time to wake up gently and to get ready.
It’s a horrid feeling isn’t when you rush into your day, disorganized and got at, and being yelled at for what you already know!
When you start your day feeling ‘edgy,’ you’ll be ‘uber-sensitive’ to comments from friends and you’ll probably take feedback from your tutors as criticism. This will make you wonder why you even bothered when ‘everything’ you seem to hear is that you’re simply not good enough.
You will feel so much better about things when you decide to change your focus and in how you talk to yourself.
You tend to think the same thoughts every morning as you go about the same robotic actions… like the side you get out of bed, the order you get dressed in, or how you put your make up on, or the time you brush your teeth. Imagine how differently you might feel if you chose to focus your thoughts in a way that celebrates what’s going right. Think about it… it’s impossible to feel anxious when you are feeling grateful.
And what if you shifted your focus from what might go wrong, and you just picked one thing in each morning to look forward to instead?
Get Further Help with Morning Anxiety
If you’d like to know more about how to feel better within yourself, AND get your parents and tutors off your case, my book ‘@anxiety we need to break up’ will help you. It’s a fast track guide for young women just like you.
Order your copy today and you’ll be feeling more on top of things in no time.
