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Anxiety each morning


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Each morning, I wake up and my heart and mind are already racing before I even know it's happening. No matter the time I go to bed, I'm up at 5AM and everything is just racing and going back to bed is almost impossible. I've tried just getting up and going for walks, working out, hanging out with friends, doing lawn work, watching TV, and even just sitting in the living room until it passes but most days it never really does. Breaking down seems to be the only thing that helps but it usually comes back within the hour. I'm tired of it and I have no idea what to do about it.

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Jake.

 

There are helplines, and they are free.

 

The NAMI HelpLine can be reached Monday through Friday, 10 am–6 pm, ET.

1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or info@nami.org

 

"HelpLine staff and volunteers are experienced, well-trained and able to provide guidance.

 

They understand, many from their own experiences, listen and offer support.

They are informed on NAMI Programs, NAMI Support Groups and locate your local NAMI Affiliate.

They are trained to help identify the best resource options for your individual concern.

They are knowledgeable and a source of accurate information about relevant topics."

 

Give it a try.

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I too am experiencing severe anxiety. I try to think about what the trigger is and then decide what I can and can't do to relieve it. I admit I have not been super successful. I do think you can contact a hotline and see if they have resources you can use. I hope you feel better very soon.

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Thank you LeHermes, I'll definitely be looking into that.

 

I try to think about what the trigger is and then decide what I can and can't do to relieve it.

 

I don't know the trigger because it happens before I'm even awake. I would assume it's the ex but she's not the only thing that runs through my mind after I'm awake. I'm constantly thinking about what I should be doing to be a better myself but I have no idea what to do to become the me I want to be. The little steps forward only help for so long, it's like it doesn't make a difference. I feel like this is how the ex felt all the time with me and this is my punishment or something. I just want it to stop without relying on the crutches I used in my past.

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Depends on what you mean by a "better you" Jake. But, don't go mad for the moment on the self-bettering project! And please, please, don't go down the guilt-tripping road with talk of "punishment".

There is no cosmic bogeyman lurking at your door with a big club waiting to wallop you as punishment for not "bettering" yourself at the speed of light.

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I suffered from really bad anxiety, was in such a dark place and felt I couldn't move at times. I downloaded this app 'relax & sleep well: hypnosis and meditation' I use to listen to it and fall asleep to it. The guy says positive affirmations to you and to be honest when I woke up I use to feel lighter. My anxiety use to make me feel really lazy and taking time out to meditate or do yoga felt like too much. This was easier and made a huge impact on when I use to wake up - my body didn't feel so heavy.

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Depends on what you mean by a "better you" Jake. And please, please, don't go down the guilt-tripping road with talk of "punishment".

 

I mean I want to make changes in my lifestyle that have been holding me back. I made a thread about it but I'll reiterate some of it. I've stopped gaming, stopped watching so much TV and just want to be less irritable and more accepting of things that are out of my control. I've never been able to maintain friendships very well, and maybe even pushed people away who I feel are getting too close. I'm okay with just having one person in my life but I've realized it's not a functional life. I could dredge on, but I truly don't know who I am or what I'm doing anymore. Music is annoying and repeating, TV holds no interest, I don't understand how people care so much for actors and athletes, I just feel like I'm not meant for this time and age. Everything and everyone seems fake and forced with social media and friendships are now numbers. One minute I like technology, the next I find myself hating every ounce of it.

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Just a sign of the times Jake. It is hard not to be jaded with everything that is going on. Television is mainly a lot of rubbish. And don't get me started about social media! Lol.

 

An awful lot of people are utterly shallow, or in a trance-like state, hypnotised probably by being constantly sandblasted by the gaudy media in all its manifestations.

 

Hope things improve for you.

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Yes. It could be physical, such as a metabolic or cardiac issue. You should see a doctor MD asap. Don't assume it's psychological. You are already doing the right things. Just stay up and get your day started. Do not turn on the tv or news.

 

Make sure you eliminate alcohol completely or any sedating substances at night, including health food store supplements. There are several easily treatable conditions that can result in early morning awakening.

Thank you LeHermes, I'll definitely be looking into that.I don't know the trigger because it happens before I'm even awake.
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Yes. It could be physical, such as a metabolic or cardiac issue. You should see a doctor MD asap. Don't assume it's psychological.

 

I only assume it's psychological because everything was fine before this event. I haven't strayed from eating healthy and I haven't picked up any bad habits. If anything, I'm doing more than I did before to stay in good health. It is only really bad in the morning, throughout the day it shifts to being strictly in my head. It's like I'm thinking about everything subconsciously.

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Who cares what’s causing it for now. If your house is on fire you don’t start looking for an arsonist or an electrical short - you put it out! First and foremost do what you need to do to find some peace. You’re making good choices like exercise, focusing on chores, talking with friends. The meditation suggestion changed my life fundamentally and profoundly.

 

If you need a prescription then avail yourself of that - but sometimes feeling it all the way through (though painful and scary) can be the quickest road to healing. Only you really know if you need medical help, but don’t hesitate if you think you need it

 

I remember another thread of yours...Keep up the good work Jakejakerson, you’re doing good!

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Who cares what’s causing it for now. If your house is on fire you don’t start looking for an arsonist or an electrical short - you put it out! First and foremost do what you need to do to find some peace. You’re making good choices like exercise, focusing on chores, talking with friends. The meditation suggestion changed my life fundamentally and profoundly.

 

If you need a prescription then avail yourself of that - but sometimes feeling it all the way through (though painful and scary) can be the quickest road to healing. Only you really know if you need medical help, but don’t hesitate if you think you need it

 

I remember another thread of yours...Keep up the good work Jakejakerson, you’re doing good!

 

To put it out is one thing, but stopping it from happening again is another. I don't see the point in masking something with medication because then one becomes dependent on it instead of pushing through it like you said. I've done meditating in the past, but trying it now only works for as long as I do it. I find myself later pacing back and forth and just angry and upset with the fact that it keeps being a persistent bird nesting on my head rather than letting it fly by and into the distance. I've had to deal with this type of thinking before dealing with adolescent thoughts, but this time it seems to be different, more intense.

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I've stopped gaming, stopped watching so much TV and just want to be less irritable and more accepting of things that are out of my control.

 

You've eliminated a couple known mind-numbers. I'm not surprised that you feel anxious at the moment. I think your level of anxiety will fade as you learn to adjust to life without escaping from it through games and TV.

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Try having quiet time with reading a good book, magazine or a healthy distraction. Or, get an early start working on a project around your home. It could be decluttering, organizing, cleaning or some type of productive and industrious chore or task. You'll feel that you've made wise use of your time.

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To put it out is one thing, but stopping it from happening again is another. I don't see the point in masking something with medication because then one becomes dependent on it instead of pushing through it like you said. I've done meditating in the past, but trying it now only works for as long as I do it. I find myself later pacing back and forth and just angry and upset with the fact that it keeps being a persistent bird nesting on my head rather than letting it fly by and into the distance. I've had to deal with this type of thinking before dealing with adolescent thoughts, but this time it seems to be different, more intense.

 

The point of meditation is not to achieve a certain result. It’s like singing or dancing...you do it for the sake of doing it. A certain result does happen to emerge in one’s life, but that’s only if someone makes a regular mediation practice a daily priority.

 

Don’t medicate if that doesn’t suit you. Far be it for me to tell you what to do. And REALLY not my place to prescribe for anybody, I’m not a doctor. I guess my point is to be open minded to a solution rather than insist on doing it your way if your way isn’t getting the results you want.

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After a little deep thinking and researching, I've found that I have an avoidant/dismissive attachment style. I guess I've always known but now it has a name. It also seems to come and go. I get attached easily, am fully committed, but the avoidance comes in when I'm feeling someone is asking too much from me emotionally. How does one overcome this? I want to be stable when it comes to my style of living, not someone who is avoidant without fully realizing that I'm being avoidant.

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Somewhat left field approach here, but...

 

What about taking everything you're worried about—these anxiety spikes, namely—and labeling them "okay." Not fun, no. But also not permanent. You're untangling some knots, exploring some stuff, doing so during a global moment of intense existential disruption. As such you're thrown, a bit, from your "normal" axis. Happens. Is happening. Uncomfortable as it is, you may find that just giving into it a bit, rather than judging it, will make it more manageable. Kind of like being really sore after exercising—not the best feeling, often legit painful, but connected to something healthy, not unhealthy.

 

I'm a pretty centered dude, all in all. Big into yoga, that stuff, with a calm disposition. But sleep has always been something of a dice roll for me. I'll sleep well for a stretch, then go through a stretch where I bolt out of bed for 10 days straight as if the house is on fire. Lucky if I'm unconscious for 4-5 hours straight. Have learned to view both as the same thing: me.

 

When I'm in the kind of state you're in these days? Well, I don't sleep so well, don't do a lot of things so well, but find I kind of ride through it by giving myself permission to just get tossed around. Sort of like surfing, which I do a lot of. Sometimes you ride the waves, sometimes you get pummeled. By allowing all that to be "surfing," rather than just the few seconds of bliss when you're carving, the times when you're getting pounded aren't so bad. Needed, even.

 

As for the newly discovered attachment style stuff? While I'm all for exploring those roads, and have burned plenty of rubber on them myself, what I've found is often that I just haven't "attached" to someone who sincerely suits me and am still caught up (emotionally, actually) in an attachment that does not suit my authentic self. In other words, maybe cut yourself a few inches of slack and at least entertain the idea that maybe what you're calling "avoidant" is also "incompatible." Which, yes, is a bummer to process. But doesn't mean you have to look in the mirror, dismantle everything you see, and put it back together.

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Uncomfortable as it is, you may find that just giving into it a bit, rather than judging it, will make it more manageable. Kind of like being really sore after exercising—not the best feeling, often legit painful, but connected to something healthy, not unhealthy.

 

...

 

Sometimes you ride the waves, sometimes you get pummeled. By allowing all that to be "surfing," rather than just the few seconds of bliss when you're carving, the times when you're getting pounded aren't so bad. Needed, even.

 

...

 

In other words, maybe cut yourself a few inches of slack and at least entertain the idea that maybe what you're calling "avoidant" is also "incompatible." Which, yes, is a bummer to process. But doesn't mean you have to look in the mirror, dismantle everything you see, and put it back together.

 

I do give into it as much as I can, and it sure as hell is pummeling me each morning. Today, my heart rate was 150BPM after I woke up and stayed that way for a good hour and a feeling of slight dread. No shortness of breath, no chest pains. When it comes to the attachment style stuff, this is something that I want to change not only for my intimate relationships, but even friendships. I'm not sure how to explain it, but I need friends who want to chill and hang out, and I want to be able to not push them away by not investing some time with different people. I've had only a few close friends over the years, and looking back, I could have had many more but I was too preoccupied with myself.

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I'm sorry you're feeling anxious. Yes friendship requires getting out of yourself, out of your head -friendship is giving and receiving. If you want friends who want to chill and hang out you have to show up (right now virtually I guess) and be reliable and trustworthy and the sort of listener who's not always rehearsing what to say next. For example many of the moms in my various Facebook mom groups post messages about desperately wanting to make new friends, feeling isolated but when it comes down to it they're not willing to put in the effort to make and keep a plan. I've experienced this personally and seen it happen on the threads on my Facebook groups.

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