Podcast #514
 
WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU WAKE UP WITH ANXIETY
 





 
If you struggle with anxiety, this episode is a must-listen. Anxiety can feel like an unpredictable and powerful monster in your life, especially if you ever find yourself waking up feeling attacked by it before you even get out of bed. This episode will give you practical and easily applicable steps to victory over your morning anxiety in a way you've never heard before. 

 
In this episode, we're coaching on:


What to do when you wake up with anxiety and what it means5 steps you can take when this happensMy favorite affirmations for morning anxiety


 
REVIEW OF THE WEEK
 


Just over a year later, I definitely woke up in a better mood. But in addition, this podcast and the support of the COC helped me to:



Stop having suicidal thoughtsForgive friends for serious past hurts, Carry out a consistent bedtime routineHold myself accountableRekindle my Christian faithStop obsessing over my food intakeDevelop a better relationship with my family and more



I recommend it to anyone who will listen! 




 
WAKING UP WITH ANXIETY
 


Anxiety is a feeling of fear, dread, or uneasiness.



It is always concerned about the future and dripping in self-doubt. 



How to know if you are experiencing this?



-Your body fills with dread.



-Your thoughts race with "what if"s or " I wish I hadn't"…



Physically, I get wide awake but restless and unable to get out of bed. 



My heart races, my mind races, and the to-do list for the day go on a mental loudspeaker.



I get a pit in my stomach and tightness in my chest and I wish I was someone else. 



Some of the thoughts I've had include:



What if I'm not good enough today?



What if I'm not pretty enough to matter?



What if I don't have the energy I need to get through the day?



What if I'm too tired?



What if I don't know what to do? 



What if it doesn't work?



The first-moment anxiety reveals some of our darkest, most base fears about ourselves and about our futures.



I hate this and used to be filled with guilt; guilt that I was dreading my dream life. Guilt that I was so driven that I created negative emotions and extra struggle in my life.



Now I accept it because it's not who I am, it's just an old thought pattern and habits that I'm still deprogramming within myself. 


 
FIRST STEP: AWARENESS & ACCEPTANCE 
 


Recognize what's happening.


 
SECOND STEP: SHIFT ATMOSPHERE
 


Change the atmosphere of your thoughts.



-Gratitude on the go



-5 minutes of peace and breathing



-Prayer



-First thought concept


 
THIRD STEP: CREATE SMALL WINS
 


Do something physical to trigger a win



-Stretch + Abs



-Journal



-Read or listen to something uplifting



-Take a walk



-Put on music



-Smile and look at yourself in the mirror



-Self-affirm


 
FOURTH STEP: IDENTIFY WITH PEACE
 


Affirm that you are free from the chokehold of anxiety.



The opposite =



Calmness, serenity, peace, trust 



Trust in core strengths, trust in resilience, trust in the process, trust in the discomfort, trust in God, trust in your preparation, trust in your capacity 



-It is a burden you don't have to carry.



-It is a decision about how you will live



-Write an affirmation and speak out an affirmation


 
FIFTH STEP: CURIOSITY & CLEANSING
 


Get self-curious, not self-critical



-"I should be beyond this" or "I know better than this" or "I'm supposed to trust God" aren't helpful sentences to think



-Downplaying- "this is silly" doesn't help



-Guilt thoughts like "I love my life and shouldn't dread it" isn't helpful



Curiosity has helped me understand that this is both nature and nurture. God has done massive and revolutionary healing in my life - miraculously so with my levels of anxiety, however, I have default settings (due to my thoughts about myself and my life) that stir up the anxiety again. 



I now see this area of my life as a place where I get revelation.