My anxiety has been very high recently. It is the most bothersome early in the mornings when I wake up. I seem to wake up in the mornings with a stomach ache and a feeling of nervousness. I automatically have a feeling of dread and negative outlook on the whole day. I know a lot of this is due to my thinking pattern. I haven't even been able to eat breakfast because I feel so nauseated. I'm usually better later in the day. Does anyone else experience this problem and or have any solutions for me?

I have the exact same thing. I can go to bed at night & sleep really well...and then first thing in the morning, I'm anxious, jittery, kinda shaky and nauseous too.

Mornings are not good for me at all. But, I do my positive self-talk (which is really hard when you don't feel good) & I exercise 30 minutes every single day...and that seems to help.

I've not been able to get rid of morning anxiety altogether though & I don't know how...it's really annoying & kind of depressing to know I have to get up each morning with these kinds of feelings.

Do you find that the longer you lay in bed (maybe trying to 'relax' or trying to go back to sleep) the worse it gets? If I do that, my legs get all tingly & numb and my mind starts racing and I get worse!

God will provide us some relief & he has gotten us through a lot, so I know we'll get better...it's just a matter of time (which a lot of times, I think I don't have much more of!??!)

I know exactly what you mean when you say the longer you lay there, the worse it gets. I also have a constant fear of passing out. I have 3 children with ages ranging from 7 down to 8 months and I'm afraid something will happen to me while I'm alone with them. That has been another fear I've been trying to conquer.
I do pray and try to remember that God is with me and will get me through all of this, but then again I fear death and wonder if my time is almost up as well!!! It sometimes feels like a constant losing battle. I am trying to find my faith again and trying to find a good church. I think that helps a lot. I truly wish you well and I am so thankful for all of the support. We'll win this battle together

Wow! We have a lot in common! I also have 3 kids ages 13, 5 & 3 yrs (also have a 17yr old stepdaughter).

That is one of my other irrational fears - 'who will take care of my kids when I'm gone'....like God is done with me & about to call me home? Right?! It's so weird to think that way. I am not afraid of dying, just the process of dying (don't know if that makes sense) - I know that I am going to Heaven & that is a lot of my comfort, but I don't want to die a horrible death...not sure if you can relate?

I also feel like it's a losing battle at times, but I refuse to give up completely! I've given up at times, but not fully given up.

I just get SO tired of 'trying' SO hard to feel good....I don't think you should have to 'try' to feel good.

Yes! I am actually scared of dying. Although I believe in God, I sometimes lose my faith when I see so many terrible things happening around me. I get confused and need some spiritual uplifting! My mother-in-law believes more in the scientology ideas and its hard to be around someone who doubts there is a God. For me, I don't know if it is so much the fear of death or the fear of my children not being taken care of like you said. I fear they will have to know what it is like to be without a mother and I love them so much. I can't bear to think about living without them. Anyway, I'm sorry to lay all of that out on you. I am just tired of worrying about my health and what if thinking. I too fear dying a horrible death. I was doing so well for so long and then this anxiety just came back to bite me! I will pray for both of us

I literally just joined when I read this post on Morning Anxiety. When I wake up in the morning, I am ALWAYS in the middle of a complete Panic Attack. I feel like I am trying to jump out of my skin but cannot escape. It is the absolute worst feeling I suffer during the day. I am hoping time will help, but it seems to be getting worse each morning. I see a therapist and am on medication, but this morning panic is really killing me! I dont know what to do about it?

Welcome! I truly feel that it is just an automatic dread we feel because we never know what kind of day we are going to have or what we will be faced with. Are we going to be filled with panic all day? Will we have to encounter one of our many phobias that cause our anxiety to worsen? I try to keep in mind that I trained my mind to think and feel this way for so long and it will take time to break the cycle. I am now a stay at home mom and my big struggle right now is being home alone with the kids. My morning anxiety is the worst on days that I know my husband has to leave and go to work.

I wish you luck with the program. It really does help, but try to be patient. Easier said than done I know. Hang in there!

Joe, Welcome!!! I am very sorry that you have morning anxiety, I truly know the dread that you go through each morning & it's nice to know that you (and I) are not alone.

I really think that this program has helped in areas that are 'known' to cause panic/anxiety...however, I do not think there's enough (if any) coverage on what I call *spontaneous* panic/anxiety. I've tried & tried & tried to use positive self talk & not to get myself worked up in the mornings, but the anxiety just wakes up with me & chooses to stay however long it pleases. Often times it's over within 3-5 hours and occasionally it'll last most of the day.

I've not had a pleasant waking up experience in a long time (months to say the least). I do, however, thank God each & every day that I wake up & breathe...I thank him for the breath, I thank him for the ability to get out of bed, I thank him for being able to walk, I thank him for being able to talk...etc...you get the point. So, it's not like I'm not thankful for being alive. It's just that I don't think or feel that I should have to *TRY* so hard to feel good??!!??

I mean, really?? Who has to TRY to feel good? Who has to MAKE theirselves feel good? I just don't understand how it all fits in sometimes....I do NOT talk negatively to myself all day and I do NOT go to bed feeling like crap or panicky or anxious...so WHY do I wake up feeling like I'm just not myself, my heart beating fast, my chest aching, my head weirded out, my legs all tingly, etc... I just don't understand!!??

I completely understand and feel your pain. Anxiety is so hit or miss and so unpredictable.

I have found that sometimes my morning anxiety depends on what I dreamt during the night. Sometimes our dreams cause anxiety that carries on throughout the day. I too can fall asleep fine and I think that its because we know we have a long period of time where we will be in a truly relaxed state. When we wake up, we know that we have a full day ahead of us that we have to face. A full 12-16 hours of stress!
Have you tried getting angry at your anxiety and telling it to do to you what it will? Face it head on? I have done that occasionally and sometimes that helps.
Have you tried

Yes, I've definitely been totally mad at the panic & fed up with it...so I've said 'come on - do what you gotta do - show me your worst!!!' I've even said 'Go ahead, Kill me this time...see if you can!' and of course it doesn't and it usually does subside slowly after that. But, often times I'm not fully into giving in to it & it won't pass.

I'd just like to wake up like a normal person for once. (Like I used to!)

You and I both will. We have been there before and we can get there again

I am brand new to the program and I searched for a while to see if anyone else had anxiety first thing in the morning. I do and it is pretty horrible. My husband is a wonderful man and he helps me through it. Changing your paradigm helps. Get dressed,go outside and walk for awhile. I pray alot too! I am expecting great things from this program. I know it is all up to me and I am willing to give it my best shot. I sounds like alot of people have been helped. I hope we are among them. God Bless

quote:

I just don't understand how it all fits in sometimes....I do NOT talk negatively to myself all day and I do NOT go to bed feeling like crap or panicky or anxious...so WHY do I wake up feeling like I'm just not myself, my heart beating fast, my chest aching, my head weirded out, my legs all tingly, etc... I just don't understand!!??

TNL you have a very important point. It makes no sense that someone should feel anxious without having any negative thoughts or any thing stressful going on.

I believe that once the disorder has been triggered by some kind of trauma or long-term stressful situation - body hormones and the part of the human Brain that controls and regulates fearful feelings plays a key role in generating these feelings we feel at periodic times during the day that cannot be explained.

Anxiety is more than just negative thoughts. Many people I know and use to work with were extremely negative people and yet none of these people suffered with an anxiety disorder.

I recently read a report by scientist that said they believed they could switch off the fearful feelings people with an anxiety disorder experience with a new drug they are working on that will be available within the next 5-7 years that specifically targets the part of the brain that controls fearful feelings a person feels.

They said the drug could put an end to anxiety and panic disorders.

Hello Prodigy Son,

Thank you so much for your insight & sense of understanding! It really means a lot to me & I'm sure for many others who have this similar problem.

I've been told that ALL of my anxiety is my own fault & that if I could retrain my brain to think a different way then the anxiety would go away. Or if I could always think positive thoughts, the anxiety would lessen. This is just not reality to me.

I'm a very reasonable person & don't believe that anyone (regardless if they have an anxiety prob or not) can always talk, think & act positively every day. I'm not a negative person, but I sure don't have the ability to be positive all the time.

And for Lucinda saying that your kids, your job, your spouse, etc... doesn't cause you anxiety unless you choose to let them?! Well, I disagree with that one!! My kids do give me anxiety, they are 3, 5 & 13 and like any mother would do, I worry about them. I have to discipline them, take care of them, nurture them, etc.... so that causes anxiety/stress for me. Not that I don't love it, because I do!! However, it still causes anxiety. There's no way around it!

She says to get rid of the problem or be less effected by the problem, right!?
Hmmmmm...last time I checked you can't get rid of your kids & as far as I'm concerned I can't be less effected by the things I have to do, because that would mean not taking care of them.

Anyway, I love my kids & that's not my only stressor. Just trying to make a point that you can't always resolve or dissolve the stressor/anxiety. Sometimes you just have to live with it!

Hi guys/gals, Im reading your posts and its like I wrote them myself. I wonder why I wake up that way (in a panic wher it wakes me out of my sleep) especially when I am not thinking anything negative. Like someone said, it is a stressful life situation and maybe, just maybe, after some time you can talk yourself out of it, but for the program to say you bring it on yourself is definitely not true in my case. Ive been through years of turmoil with infertility (surgeries, losses, more sugeries, setbacks etc.) thatI know my case is just my body saying "enough- I cant take anymore". Im sure we all have similiar situations.

Anyway the reason I wanted to respond is because Ive always wondered why its worse in the am and my therapist just brought out a great point tonight that I wanted to share. He said its because when you wake up, you body has all of that energy and adrenaline built up with no escape, but as the day goes on, your activities help alleviate the energy, making you feel better. I also read that the anxiety is like your mind being a car in high gear with the emergency brake on. So, with that being said, it does make more sense. Anyway, good luck to everyone on here- I love you guys and feel for everyone of us. Maria