Good morning. I used to have morning anxiety. At some point it went away. I usually wake up happy. My cat is always excited to see me get up. Then I put my coffee on and relax while it's brewing. I hope your mornings turn around too.

Thanks GreenEyes. I have two dogs who are happy to see me and certainly ready to start their day. But I don’t know, it’s such a bad feeling. And I purposely had woken up earlier and took something so my the time I got up I’d feel bettter , and that didn’t even work.

more gentle empathy, sarah. i'll still take a cure, if you have one, but while i'm waiting on the next snake oil salesperson. . .

my own morning anxiety has become much easier to manage since i stopped letting it upset me. processing that surprise factor is more work than plying the anxiety management tools which let me have a decent day, despite that anxiety cloud. yea, that cloud is still there and it still sucks, but there is still allot to appreciate in this day.

Set up a calming morning routine.

Stay hydrated (keep a small glass of water near your bedside if needed).

Best wishes, you'll find your way to a calmer morning.

Since last year I too have been having major trouble with morning anxiety. I take Hydroxyzine for it but it doesn't really work that well, although it does take the anxiety inducing nausea away. I was told that ppl suffer from morning anxiety due to our cortisol levels being on the high side upon waking. I wish I had tips to alieve your anxiety. If you discover any, please share!

Same to you whitechapel if you fine something.
I have my anti anxiety med and it doesn’t help on the morning but would help at other times so it makes no sense
Actually I woke up about an hour ago and it’s here again. Want to pull covers over my head and cry

Hi Sarah,
I have had morning anxiety since mid August. It used to be accompanied by nausea but that has gone away, thank GOD. Now I just feel really tired and dread about starting my day. Once in a while I will take half an ativan to help me get over the hump. The night before I try not to think about the next morning and enjoy my evening because I usually feel pretty normal by afternoon and evening.

Is there a good way to reduce morning cortisol levels? I have not found a way yet. The Calm app has some great meditations that I have used. You might look into it.

Take care!

Hi Seaglass
I just get that feeling of like tingly arms and nervous.
Same for me that I feel better by early evening. I don’t really get it. My life is still the same.
I also take an anti anxiety med in morning. Weird it will help during day but not in morning.

I was having the same issue, still do from time to time… like this morning was rough. But I think it may have to do with bedtime circumstances. How relaxed are you before sleep? How much do you sleep? And do you have stressful dreams? For instance… I had a weird apocalyptic dream last night and couldn’t shake the anxiety when I woke up. I noticed I wake up feeling much better when the bedtime factors are more or less in check. Just a thought for something to try. You can’t control your dreams certainly.. but maybe watch a relaxing show, or read a relaxing, light themed book.

I don’t really dream but I could see how that would be an issue. I usually go to bed same time each night and watch a lighthearted or funny show as I fall asleep. I sleep okay wake up to use bathroom once maybe.
So it’s really not until my morning awakening Irhe anxiety hits and I want to cry.

I didn't want to be dependent on lorazepam, so my doctor tried me on propranolol. It is a non-addictive blood pressure medicine at a low dose. It has really worked for me.

Hi Sarah, thank you for posting this. I recently went through a several month period where I woke in the morning to an instant wall of panic and anxiety. What a horrible sensation, I am so sorry you are experiencing this. One thing that finally brought me some relief was keeping a notepad right next to my desk and immediately writing down all my worst thoughts and anxieties the second they hit. For me this took a little bit of the edge off of my anxiety to the point that I could focus my mind on something therapeutic like a meditation or breathing exercise. For me personally, staying in bed for a few moments while I did the journaling was important because it gave me a degree of physical comfort that eventually helped me to calm my mind a bit. There will be a day soon when you wake up gently to a calm morning and it will feel wonderful. For now, it’s about giving yourself an outlet for your anxiety and a little dose of comfort to make head space for a healthier morning, but by bit. Thank you again for reaching out to the group, it was helpful for me to read your comment and reflect on what helped me through a similar trial. We are here for you!

Thank you Rubia.
Just woke up feeling awful again. Stomach ache , panicky and wanting to cry.
It really is horrible.

Try to change your thoughts about it. Replace hating it with accepting it. Acceptance can help de-escalate things. Getting upset about it just fuels it.

Accepting a bad feeling is just so difficult. I get up and take the feeling with me that’s for sure.
I try hard to think of others and how hard people have it etc
To try to help myself feel better