5 Ways to Help Your Morning Anxiety
Photography by Sarah Halwani
I was inspired to write this post after feeling a lot of morning anxiety last week. When I experience morning anxiety, I wake up and feel as if my mind has already been racing before I even have a chance to realize that I’m awake… that my brain is 1,000,000 steps ahead of me and there is nothing I can do to catch up.
There are some things that really help me when I wake up in an anxious state, so I thought I would share some of them with you today! Here are 5 things you can do to help your morning anxiety:
1) Meditation. It should come as no surprise that meditation is the first thing on this list. I could go on for pages about how meditation can help ease anxiety, but for the purpose of this post I’ll keep it short. Spending the first 10-20 minutes of my day in stillness is the best way that I have found to manage my morning anxiety (and my anxiety in general). It allows for a sacred pause before signing onto my computer, checking emails, and going through the tasks of the day. It’s a moment for me and only me. Meditation is known to help activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which helps to relieve us from “fight or flight” so if you wake up feeling anxious, meditation can really help you get a handle on your mindset and how the rest of your day will go.
2) Movement. Nothing like moving your body to get the anxiety jitters OUT! Whether you gravitate towards yoga, HIIT, spin or running, moving your body and channeling that anxious energy into a workout first thing in the morning can set the tone for the rest of your day. Don’t have time? Can’t manage to get out of bed? Even just 15 minutes of physical activity can make a difference!
3) Eat a grounding breakfast (and cut out the caffeine). Nourishing your body with grounding foods such as eggs or root veggies or fruits such as radishes, beets, carrots or ginger can help to reduce your anxiety in the morning, as well. A beet, carrot, ginger juice is a great place to start, or a plate of scrambled eggs with sweet potato hash works, too. If you’re sensitive to caffeine, try swapping your morning coffee for a cup of herbal tea. Because caffeine is a stimulant, it can increase our anxiety, so cutting the coffee can make a big difference.
4) Practice gratitude. If you wake up anxious, grab your journal and write down 3 things that you’re grateful for. Taking 5 minutes to focus on all of the good in your life takes your focus away from whatever is that’s making you feel anxious, and reminds you that even on the toughest days, there is still so much to be grateful for.
5) Get some fresh air. There’s truly nothing like a little fresh morning air to ground you and help ease any morning anxiety you might be feeling. Going for a walk or meditating outside kills 2 birds with one stone when it comes to managing your morning anxiety, but even simply sitting outside for 10-15 minutes helps.
Regardless of when or how often you experience morning anxiety, these 5 tips can seriously help to reduce it, especially when done consistently. I try to meditate every morning (“try” is the key word here - some days I don’t wake up early enough and that’s okay… it’s not about perfection but consistency!) but some days it just isn’t enough, so I’ll practice gratitude or go for a walk, too.
The next time you wake up feeling anxious, try doing one of these five things… I promise that you’ll notice a difference!
What are your favorite ways to manage anxiety?
xo,
Kelsey
P.S. I’m now working one-on-one with clients to help them overcome their anxiety and pursue a life of balance in the same ways that I have… and you better believe meditation is a huge part of all of my offerings! Please reach out if you’re interested in getting more information, and don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter to stay in the loop about upcoming events.