Also if I try to take a nap during the day, I feel like I'm wasting my day.. Like time is passing me by.. I think of a ll the things I need to do around the house..

I think you just answered your own question about why you wake up in a panic after a nap: "I feel like I'm wasting my day, like time is passing me by...I think of all the things I need to do around the house." Honestly, if I woke up like that, I would feel anxiety too. Because there would be a little voice yelling at me "C'mon! Time's A-Wasting! Get Moving! You have Things To Do!" Yelling has always been anxiety-producing. So is guilt. Which is also what those thoughts are, to me.
"I'm not allowed to relax and feel good, this means that I'm lazy, that I'm selfish" or a sense of overwhelm, which is also anxiety-producing: "I have so much to do -- I don't even know where to start!" (and then all these thoughts get jammed in my head as I try to visualize where to begin... )

The best thing that has worked for me is to write a list of all the things I need to do. Then I prioritize the list, so that I've identified the most important things that need doing right away. And then I try to "consolidate" the tasks, so if I need to get things, I can map out where I'm going, so I don't waste a lot of energy running up & back. I can write it out: Bank, Post Office, Store, Library. So I have the tasks aligned with each destination. This works really well for me and suddenly everything is getting checked off that list and I feel an amazing sense of accomplishment. Gone is the anxiety. Instead I feel satisfaction that I found a way to override the anxiety.

As to waking in the morning, I've always struggled to do so in the morning. For me, I think it's because I've associated it with the utmost unpleasantness of my childhood: being yelled at every morning to "WAKE UP!!" Rarely was I woken with any kind of nurturing or loving. No wonder I wake either in a panic or depressed or anxious. I also wake up, feeling guilty for not getting up sooner. So, that guilt creates anxiety, too. To say that I am not a morning person is quite an understatement. I am miserably grumpy :(

You have to change your thinking. Anxiety attacks come from faulty thinking. I used to have them and my counselor helped me deal with them. She had me do deep breathing exercises, which helped. I also had to listen to a relaxation tape.

In order to change your thinking, think about changing the way you label things. For example, in our society, an adult napping during the day seems to be frowned upon because you are wasting time. Instead of calling it a nap, call it "meditation time," "recharging time" or "mommy time"--whatever you like. Sometimes changing the name we call something changes the way we think about it. Also, give yourself a set amount of time to do this, like you would when you take a shower or eat or anything else you set aside time for.

I always feel really guilty if I nap during the day as well, like I should be being productive all the time. i also experience the feeling of waking in a panic at times, its usually if my other half isnt there.

Thanks, those are great ideas!!!
Amelah, when u mentioned having been woke in an unpleasant way as a kid, that made me think of myself as a kid.. My mom started dating my stepdad when I was 8 and he had a VERY loud alarm clock that scared the crap out of me every morning and then my parents fighting til one of them left for work. Even to this day I cannot use an alarm clock, and if I do, I will not be able to sleep..

Oh man, Kourtney, I have been waking (in the mornings and after naps) up like this for about 6 months and I am so tired of it. I seem to burn some of it away by getting up and exercising right away. Most of my problem at this point is that I have unfortunately made it into a habit. My body expects it. So I am working on changing it with positive thoughts about what I will do when I awake, instead of dreading the awful feelings I have. Good luck to you and know you aren't alone!

This happens to me.

99% of the time when I wake up in a panic it's when napping. I've stopped napping just because of this issue.