How to Overcome Morning Dread
Do you ever wake up and feel an impending sense of doom towards the day? This may feel like a tight feeling in your chest, a pit at the bottom of your stomach, or a cage of full of butterflies in your gut. This can be called ‘morning dread’.
Morning dread is not just waking up and feeling as if you can’t be bothered getting out of bed. Morning dread is waking up and feeling anxious for what the day ahead holds. When we wake up, our body naturally releases hormones that are associated with stress – adrenaline and cortisol – to give us the energy we need to get up and start the day. If you suffer from anxiety, your mind might interpret this hormonal surge as an impending danger, which can kick into motion the snowball of negative thoughts and worries.
Therefore, if you are prone to anxiety, you may find yourself waking up and immediately feeling overwhelmed with an all-consuming uneasiness. When you do drag yourself out of bed it may feel that everything that follows is exhausting.
Firstly, you are not alone. Whilst no one wants to wake up and have your mind kick into overdrive first thing in the morning, it is a fairly common occurrence. If you feel overwhelmed when you wake up here are some suggestions on how to manage this occurrence in healthy, adaptive ways.
Learn to recognise what these feelings are instead of allowing them to overtake you. If you see them as a surge of hormones to get your body fired up for action this can make sense and remove the negative ruminating thoughts that may accompany the negative feelings. Then try accepting this discomfort. It will pass. Feelings are energy; they come, they dwell and they move.
Getting up is always the hardest past, but you have to realise that staying in bed and letting yourself get consumed by negative thoughts and fear is counter-productive to feeling good. Setting a plan and establishing a morning routine for the day ahead can provide a solid structure to follow when you wake up.
Beginning your day with a generous dose of self-care, intention and movement is key. A helpful morning routine can consist of 10 minutes exercise, 10 minutes meditation and 10 minutes to plan out your day.
Movement is key to shifting the stress hormones out of your body. Exercise allows the adrenaline and cortisol a chance to be released from your body. This is why exercise is so good for you. If you can exercise outside even better as the fresh air, sunshine and natural elements are all helpful in calming the nervous system.
Meditation helps calm the mind and racing thoughts. A gratitude meditation can help further download the happy hormones of dopamine which counteract the stressful hormones. And finally by focusing on what your day looks like and all that has to be done can provide a sense of ease. If there is too much on your plate for that day, work out what isn’t an absolute priority and remove it. Saying no is very powerful.
This morning routine will help shift your mind away from your negative thoughts and uncomfortable feelings by giving you something productive and active to concentrate on.
At the end of the day, if you still find yourself feeling anxious or overwhelmed, try to shift your focus to the good things that occurred during the day. No matter how small or apparently insignificant, focusing on the good helps down regulate healthy hormones and helps to rewire the brain away from a negativity bias.
Morning dread is a real thing, but it is important to remind yourself that to no matter what you are in control of your mind, thoughts and behaviours. When you claim this agency over yourself you begin to create healthy habits to manage your stress.
If you find that you are suffering chronic stress, anxiety or depression then get in touch with The Melbourne Counselling Centre to find out how counselling can help you work through and resolve your stress. Click here for Bookings.
Jesse Gristwood2023-05-03Anne was so great. She is extremely comfortable and very knowledgeable. Anne was able to help me overcome some old habits and was able to help me come to terms with my past. I would recommend her to anyone.
Sara Baharlou2022-11-01I went to Anne with multiple Traumas . I was not Hopfull that it can help however my partner booked me in to see Anne .. Anne was very professional and wise. She tried alot to stop me from self sabotaging .. I am still dealing with anxiety day in day out however I feel more aware of my problems and also less aggressive and sensitive to some triggers.. not all my problems are solved as it was just four sessions with Anne! we could just work with couple of the issues... however it did help and I see a change .. I recommend TRTP specially for those battling with PTSD !
Leonardo Montealegre2021-07-21I'm so grateful that Anne assisted me when I need it the most; she has changed my life for good, I still see changes in my daily life. I highly recommended her as she is an excellent professional.
hanna yachou2021-06-24I've been seeing Anne Serrey for anger management and for TRTP as part of my court ordered diversion since April. I can comfortably say that slapping the guy that brought me to these counselling sessions was the best thing I've ever done. Absolutely life changing. I feel much lighter, I feel free, and unstuck for the first time since exiting my mother's uterus thirty odd years ago. Thanks so much Anne for all your help and your continued support. Highly recommend Anne's services.
Troy “MyNickname”2021-01-21Anne has been able to inspire me to make multiple changes in my life that have all been beneficial to both my personal and work life. I would highly recommend Anne from Melbourne Counselling Centre to anyone looking to create a positive change in your life.
A K2020-10-08Anne is amazing, TRTP has changed my entire outlook on life, how I interact with people, and what I’m doing. In the few months since TRTP my life has honestly changed so much for the better, it’s beyond what I could have ever imagined. My friends and family are also noticing it! And amazingly, every day gets better. Thank you so much Anne!
Rick Saunders2020-07-06I would not hesitate to refer anyone seeking an effective solution to an ongoing mental health concern.
Poki Samuels2020-03-31Well all I can say is that Anne has helped me get through some of the anger And trauma Been built up inside of me for years and I have not known how to deal with it. She took me step by step on to see how I could overcome these issues that were holding me back on achieving some of my greatest goals in life. Thank you so much Anne 🙏🏾
Nathan Watson2019-09-18TRTP has completely changed the way I think about myself and the world around me. The changes have been extraordinary in such a short space of time. I suddenly find myself walking forward with a new set of positive core beliefs which others are noticing on a daily basis Anne supported me through the process with expertise, compassion and patience. TRTP really does offer you a new launch pad from which to embark on a new journey. I’m so grateful for having this opportunity to do this work with Anne
Daniela J2019-06-14I had been struggling with life and reliving my trauma for over 20 years, I tried everything and nothing worked. Finally I was referred to Anne, who took me through The Richards Trauma Process (TRTP) as that is the process that helped shift the past and get you to a better place. Words cannot express how she turned my life completely around. For once, I am actually excited about life, I am actually thinking about my future. I feel like my life has been reset, I have a second chance and I am developing my life the way I want it to be, rather than the influences I was brought up with. Anne, I am indebted to you, thank you so much.
