I find that I am still waking up in the morning with a gloomy, dreadful feeling. It happens almost every day. I make myself get out of bed fairly quickly and start my morning routine (which starts with yoga and breakfast) but I really wish I could just wake up feeling good. I know now that I need to fight against it when it happens with good self-talk but how do I stop it in the first place? It's not a nice way to start the day...

Hey, I know exactly how you feel! I still do @ times wake up with this bad feeling, I tell myself it's only the anxiety, and keep going about my day. This way I am training myself, so one day I just pop and voila, feelings are gone, and I can go on about my day w/o those feelings. Just hang in there, and know that you are not alone. I also start of the day with a little prayer, and that helps as well. Just like the program says, we have to float with it, and not fight it.....Best of luck!!!!!!!!

I also wake up "with a start". Not really a gloomy feeling as much as a really anxious, almost panicky feeling. The way you start your day sounds great--I found that if eat something really light before bed I do not wake up quite so anxious, my counselor said it had to do with low blood sugar in the morning, combined with anxiety, of course.

But it stinks, and this week I am on vacation with my husband and kids doing day trips---sucks to wake up feeling badly when it is supposed to be a fun week! I'd love to hear any other people's solutions to this morning anxiety...

I have the exact same problem. I wake up with a knot in my chest, gloomy AND panicky. Not fun. I go to bed feeling ok (I'm so much better at night), then wake up feeling so low. I wish I could get rid of it too. I don't know how to fix it, but I thought you'd at least feel better knowing that some more people were experiencing the same thing.

For me, I think maybe it has to do with wanting instant results. I try little things to change my mornings, but they never seem to work, and I quickly fall back into the old patterns. It's so hard for me to do anything in the mornings, so changing a routine, or trying to do stuff to distract myself is really, really difficult. Then, when I don't seem to be feeling any different, I tend to give up. Even after only a few days of trying - because those few days, and those little things take so much effort. I know I shouldn't, but I still expect the results to be proprtionate to the effort, and I suppose it doesn't work that way. I know I have to "just do it", but man, is it hard, and I completely relate.

Sounds as though you are working hard. Rather than "fight against it," try just accepting it. Acknowledge that it is there: "Oh, there you are. Stay if you want, but I have other things to do." Then get busy. Or say anything else that fits for you. If you are fighting it, you are focusing on it, and we experience what we focus on. It will eventually fade away when you stop focusing on it. Let it be. Be patient. Keep up your work, and you'll experience the payoff. Blessings, fare

Oh, fare, I like that!

This morning when I woke up and the gloomy feeling tried to take hold, I said to myself, "Nope, not doing that today!" and went straight to yoga. I didn't lay in bed pondering why I feel bad AGAIN and how I wish it would go away,etc. It helped to shake it off more quickly.

I find that I tend to want to analyze WHY I feel gloomy, why I have negative thoughts, how I'm going to overcome them, how will it feel when I'm better, etc. I've decided to stop doing that. I'm just not going to accept it anymore. When my brain starts to do it's same old panicky, worried, anaylzing-everthing routing, I've been telling it (in an assertive voice!) "No, I don't do that anymore." It seems to help.

Oh, one more thing about waking up gloomy. I noticed that my body seems to know what time it is! If I wake up at 4 a.m. I don't feel gloomy and go back to sleep. If I wake up at 5:59 a.m. (one minute before my alarm goes off), I DO feel gloomy! Go figure.

It does help to know there are more of you out there dealing with the gloomy morning monster.

Water, great that you are doing it! I woke up this morning with a list of things I have to do in my head, wanting to go back to sleep. I am glad that I am going to exercise and not accept those gloomy thoughts. Have a great holiday everyone!

I usually wake up with a gloomy feeling anytime I know that I am going to work that day. I hate work but know I have to work to survive financially. I am going to retire in September and hope to be able to do something parttime that will not make me feel so gloomy.

Hate feeling gloomy all the time.

I know what you mean. I woke up this morning feeling the exact same way. I feel gloomy and like a cloud is hanging over my life. Only my anxiety is severe enough that I have trouble working. So I'm at home. Feeling gloomy. When I stat working again, I know I'll those days when I just don't want to get up out of bed because of feeling this way. I haven't started the AA&D program yet. So maybe there's hope for some future sunny days

Hi Everyone on this Post,

You all seem to have the same problem WHY AM I FEELING GLOOMY IN THE MORNING WHEN I WAKE UP! You all DON'T HAVE TO FEEL GLOOMY IN THE MORNING! Let's look at this situation in a different manner. What are you saying to yourself (self talk) is probably negative, because if it was positive you would be getting up feeling fantastic! It's new day, the sun is shining, I'm going out for dinner tonight, etc. Think of words that are comforting, creative, loving, etc.

One little trick that helps is to get out a piece of paper write down all your negative dialague and change it to positive dialague (like you learned in the program) read these phrases (out loud) BEFORE YOU GO TO BED AT NIGHT for 30 evenings.
You will notice how great you will feel because you are re-directing your negative thoughts to positive thoughts and your body and mind will follow. I have done the program 4 years ago. It has changed my life. I have my life back and enjoying every minute of it. YOU CAN DO IT TOO! LET'S ALL GET TOGETHER AND WORK ON IT!

Have a great Morning,

Dona Dry

Hi, the problem I have been having in waking up in the morning is just waking up, becoming coherent and competent. I live alone when my son is on visitation with his dad. One morning a few weeks ago my body was waking up but my eyes were still closed and I couldn't get them open. I think they were still rolled in the back of my head. I know it sounds funny but it really happened. I knew in my head I had to get up for a reason but couldn't ge t my eyes to cooperate. Has anyone had this happen to them before?
The other thing is when I am trying to wake up I have no idea what day it is or anything. So it is a matter of becoming coherent as to what day it is and that I have to leave the house before a certain time. It gets frustrating at times. I pretty much feel like I am living all by my self. What if something should happen to me and no one is here to help me. Who is going to find me??? That has also been a big worry for me. Anything could happen?
Please let me know of any ideas you might have.

Thanks,
clb79

I have this problem a lot. I figured out that I was dreaming about a problem without a solution and I would wake up with the emotion of the problem still in my system, hence, the feeling of dread or anxiety. Most of these for me are based on a fear of poverty or losing all my stuff somehow.

I had the severe gloomy wake up feeling for years - it stopped immediately following /hysterectomy and removal of ovaries - and commencement of oestrogen only hormone replacement so did the mood swings that had helped to ruin all my friendships and reltionships all my adult life

Hi Waterfall hope and others,

Fare and Donna have hit on some good points, fare is telling you to compartmentalize and ignore and Donna is suggesting self talk journaling and reading positive self talk aloud. I agree and it is all good.

I never like that idea of positive thoughts not verbalized, it sort of leaves the opportunity for a struggle to take place inside the head and you never know which will prevail. If you speak out loud it will trump the thoughts. I like it more physical, such as clapping your hands in a cadence, or sing a snappy type marching song.

I use Christian songs, but if you don't like that then do the marine corp hymm , or the army or navy song. Or even Mary Poppins songs. (When ever I feel afraid, I hold me erect, and whistle a happy tune and no one ever knows I am afraid) Don't know them, find them on you tube.

They are simple, they will set you up for a positive breakthrough, and start to your day, and they work. Yoga is meditative and serious, get into a happy mindset that you can then come down to meditate, come out your mediations with the full benefits, and if you get down, sing, dance and march around. Don't laugh, in a negative vane, it works! Get positive!