Yep….the dreaded morning anxiety.
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I have been there too many times to count. Since it happens to me often, if there are any positives to this awful feeling, I have a lot of experience dealing with it. I have tried plenty of different methods to help me regain control over my thoughts. This allows me to clear my mind and be able to positively focus and move forward with my day.
Here are my five top ways to crush morning anxiety 😉
#1 – Years ago when I first started experiencing morning anxiety, I thought that laying in bed and trying to “relax” before I actually got out of bed would be a good idea. I was wrong. Now I find that the longer I lay in bed and continue to think about my day, the worse it gets. The best thing to do is just get up and face the day.
Most of the time the things that you worry about when you are laying in bed don’t actually happen. The day doesn’t always start out as bad as you may think. But you’ll never know if you keep laying in bed wondering about it.
#2 – Do NOT lay in bed and wake up by looking at your phone or social media accounts. You may see something that upsets you and that just adds to the anxiety. It is best to wake up and focus on the positive aspects of your day and not be concerned about what other people are doing. Social media plays such a prominent role in our society that sometimes it is hard not to get sucked in to reading about what all of your “friends” are doing. Just focus on yourself (and your loved ones, of course) and I promise it will eliminate a lot of useless clutter in your mind.
#3 – Once I am out of bed and semi-awake (😉), I enjoy reading things that make me happy. For example, on my Pinterest account, I created a board of “Morning Reminders” that have positive quotes about starting your day. I also enjoy reading some of my favorite blogs (hint, hint 😊). Anything that makes me happy and keeps me in a positive state of mind is a great way to start the day. Sometimes 5-10 minutes is all you need!
#4 – If you are able to, exercise. Exercising is nature’s way of producing healthy endorphins, which help alleviate stress and anxiety. If you are a parent with young children (which is me), it’s not always easy to exercise right away in the morning.
There were mornings that I would jog up and down the stairs to act as my exercise. LOL, I know. Another thing I would do is have a dance party with my boys. This is way more fun than going up and down the stairs, by the way. They love to dance and this is another great way to incorporate family time with a different form of exercising.
#5 – I am big on making lists. Making a list is a way for me to write down what I need to do. Then my brain doesn’t need to remember it all. That frees up space in my mind so that I can think clearer and be more organized and productive with my days. The list(s) are created the night before so that way I don’t need to think about it in the morning. It is already written down for me.
I usually break down my lists into “monthly”, “weekly” and “daily” to-do’s. I try to limit my daily to-do list to the top 3 most important things that need to be done. After all, being a single mom is no small task and most of my days are spent caring for my kids. But limiting the list to the top 3 things that I need to get accomplished puts less pressure on myself and gives me the satisfaction of crossing off the things I have accomplished (which feels SO darn good)!
I also find it helpful to drink a glass of lemon water when I wake up. Since anxiety can cause an upset stomach, lemon water can help to flush your digestive system and re-hydrate your body. I use a drop of Young Living’s Lemon Vitality essential oil in a glass of water (must be a glass, not a plastic cup). You can order lemon essential oil HERE. To read my full post about essential oils and all of their benefits, click HERE.
Also, try to limit your caffeine intake. This sounds like a no-brainer, but if you are a coffee lover like myself (and a Mom that needs to keep up with her kids!), it can be difficult. I always limit myself to one cup a day and depending on how I’m feeling, some days are decaf only.
Anxiety shows no mercy. It can appear at any time of day, out of nowhere, for no reason. These are just a few things that have worked for me and hopefully can provide some relief for others, too!
If you have any tips or tricks of your own that you would like to share, I would love to hear them!
