Morning Anxiety

Morning anxiety is an odd kind of anxiety, isn't it.  It's a bit like general anxiety, as it's often not linked with anything in particular, it can be extremely disabling, if not paralysing, but it's difficult to say what is wrong, or why one is feeling so terribly anxious.  It's not like waking up in a bad mood, or 'getting out of bed on the wrong side ' (what on earth was that, anyway, those of you who remember being accused of it by parents and grandparents?!)  What is clear, though, is that morning anxiety is very, very common.

I'm going to look at what sets morning anxiety apart from other types of anxiety, from a trauma therapist's point of view.  That means that I am looking at the underlying reasons for this anxiety, rather than what might be exacerbating it in our rational thinking. 

There are lots of different takes on morning anxiety.  The Cleveland Clinic, for example, maintains that it is in large part due to what's been going on the previous evening.  I would dispute that, although they do have some good ideas, like maintaining good sleep hygiene (regular bedtimes, no screen time within two hours of sleep time, a dark room, calm activities before bedtime, being sufficiently hydrated, and cutting down on caffeine and alcohol).  As good as this advice is for wholesome sleep, it does not adequately address the question of morning anxiety.

Wake Forest University's MA in counselling programme does at least mention cortisol as one of the factors in morning anxiety, but carry on to view morning anxiety as if it were the same as generalised anxiety, which it is not.  

A Medical News Today article equally mentions cortisol as a significant factor in morning anxiety, but goes on to talk about generalised anxiety disorder, and suggests some things to do about that, as if that were the same as morning anxiety with a sprinkling of extra cortisol.  

The fact is, any kind of anxiety is caused by the same physiological processes, but how we treat different types of anxiety differs from one to the other.  For instance, social anxiety is largely a question of developing sense of self and boundaries, with external orientation.  Health anxiety requires a thorough pruning and resetting of thinking loops, establishing an internal sense of safety, and careful internal orientation. 

To combat morning anxiety we need to make sure our sense of safety, connection, and of needs being met, are all healthy and functioning well, alongside developing a robust sense of self.  This has to happen in the context of our awakening.  So, in this way, we are employing some of the fundamental approaches to anxiety within a very specific context.  

ALL of these approaches are good for generalised anxiety syndrome (GAD), so you can't do any harm by putting them into practice.  When we get to the fundamental layer of brain functioning, it's not as if treating one type of anxiety will undermine the treatment of another type.  It is crucial, though, to place each treatment within the appropriate context.

Physical symptoms of morning anxiety include racing heart, sweating, shortness of breath, freeze, digestive symptoms, nausea, and light-headedness or headache.  Mental/emotional symptoms include a feeling of dread or impending doom, irrational fear, lack of purpose or motivation, despair, hopelessness, or panic.  We can also feel lost, untethered, or with a weak sense of who we are, where we are, why we are here, and what we are supposed to be doing, which can induce panic.

What we want is really simple, though.  We just want to be able to wake up and feel ok.  Morning anxiety is extremely common, although figures are difficult to obtain, as there is not an official diagnosis for it.  But those who experience it, know that it is different from GAD, and can be entirely gone - disappeared - once the day has started and one is up and going with it.  

So, what to do?  Here's the low-down, the crucial bit of this blog post.  When we look at the ways to reduce, manage, and even eliminate morning anxiety, we have to take into consideration the following:

• developing a really strong, robust sense of self, so we can find our anchor in the mornings.
• making sure we have a good sense of safety or security, connection (with ourselves and others), and of having our needs met, as we prepare to start the day.
• riding the cortisol wave:  cortisol rises in the mornings, giving us a little boost to get up and get going.  Sometimes this 'boost' can be overwhelming.
• dealing with nightmares and night terrors, from which we emerge into waking life.
• gathering our 'support team' around us, so we do not start the day feeling alone.

There are things we can do for each of these separate issues, and, as always, progress in one inevitably helps progress in another.  If you identify one in which you feel you could improve, start with that and see how it affects the others, whilst also building towards a safe, happy start to your day.  

If you want help with this, I have a programme focused entirely on morning anxiety, in which you discover ways to strengthen your sense of self, so it becomes an anchor in the mornings.  I show you how to ride the cortisol wave, deal with nightmares, and foster your sense of being supported by others, so you feel safe, connected, and have your needs met.  You can find the link to it in the column on the right or below this blog.  To start you off, there's a cheat sheet here.