(Editor’s note: Millions of people suffer from anxiety, and mornings can be particularly difficult. This can affect our mental preparedness. Here’s a look at simple ways to alleviate morning anxiety.)
Written by Kendra Beckley
It’s easy to let your busy schedule cause you to feel anxious right as you are starting your day. Worrying about all the tasks you need to complete is normal, but it results in unnecessary stress. This is a huge reason as to why many of us aren’t morning people. Though it’s challenging, there are ways to work around these overwhelming feelings. Here are five ways that can help you combat your morning anxiety.
1. Don’t Drink Too Much Caffeine
It’s believed that caffeine is an easy solution to help aid morning stress. Truthfully, caffeine can amplify your anxiety, rather than calm you down. Coffee, tea, and energy drinks are great sources to access more energy. When you are stressed, it’s best to either avoid, or consume caffeinated drinks in lower amounts. Consuming caffeine while you are already anxious will worsen your anxious feelings. Caffeine is a stimulant, and will cause your nervousness to rise making you shake, have a raised heart rate, and struggle to calm down. This doesn’t mean you can’t have your morning cup of coffee. Just remember to not over consume caffeinated drinks because it can immediately impact your anxiety levels. Those who drink an entire pot of coffee in the day tend to be more stressed about what they need to get done. This is because they are drinking way more coffee than they should, resulting in them feeling extra anxious and unhinged.
2. Get Quality Sleep
Millions of people are on irregular, unhealthy sleeping schedules. Sleep deprivation is one of the biggest factors that contributes to morning anxiety. Lack of sleep leads to symptoms such as fatigue, lack of motivation, and negative emotions. The average person needs at least 7 hours of undisturbed sleep to be well rested and ready to tackle their to-do list. The reality is, most of us don’t get nearly enough sleep. This could be due to unorganized, hectic work schedules, and a variety of other interferences. Despite our busy lives, sleep is one of the most important things. If you are able to better control your sleep schedule, don’t stay up late when there is no need to. When people are able to get better sleep, they will have a clearer mind, and feel more prepared for what’s to come.
3. Avoid Procrastination
We’ve all pushed important tasks aside to the very last minute. This decision is one that backfires each time. Before you sleep, make sure you have everything done and ready for the next day. Procrastination causes many of us to develop morning anxiety. You’ve likely rushed to complete either homework, a work-related thing, chores, or other tasks in the morning. While doing them isn’t fun, it’s worse to manage your responsibilities last minute. Going to sleep knowing you don’t have to do something right when you get up is a huge relief. Do yourself a favor, and get your tasks over and done with the night before.
4. Eat a Balanced Breakfast
I’ve met so many people before that don’t eat breakfast before attending work, school, activities and more. Unless you get nauseous after eating breakfast in the morning, there is no reason as to why you should be forgetting to nourish yourself in the morning. Going through your day on an empty stomach will always invoke anxiety. Super foods such as nuts, whole grains, eggs, and fish are the best fuel sources in the morning and throughout the day. When you nourish your body, it will be able to function properly. Those who go without eating a quality breakfast will suffer from nutrients. We usually have low blood sugar in the morning because our last meal was hours ago. Low blood sugar levels increase anxiety symptoms, and by eating a healthy breakfast, you can combat morning anxiety.
5. Wake Up Early
Waking up a little earlier can help you feel less rushed and anxious in the morning. Having limited time to get ready for your day is probably the easiest way to make yourself anxious. When you have more free time to relax, exercise, enjoy breakfast, get cleaned up, and get to your destination on time, you’ll feel more at ease. Even just an extra half an hour of time can guide you to having a lovely morning without feeling overly pressured.
Implementing These Methods Into Your Life
These five methods can seriously help you combat your morning anxiety. If you already have consistent and balanced morning habits, then your anxiety may be clinical. These methods do not cure your morning anxiety, but they can reduce your overall levels of nervousness. You deserve to have an enjoyable start to your day despite what your schedule may include.
About the author:
Business development manager and editor Kendra Beckley works at Academic brits. Kendra helps companies build strong relationships with business partners and clients. She also loves to write articles on a variety of subjects.
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