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One of the worst things anxiety has to offer? Waking up anxious. It feels downright unfair when anxiety sets in before you’re even conscious enough to manage it.

When I find myself in an anxious period, waking up anxious is a daily occurrence. I have clients facing the same problem and they all agree: Waking up anxious is the worst.

Waking up with anxiety can make it hard to get anything done, let alone get out of bed. Minor tasks such as brushing your teeth or preparing breakfast suddenly takes a tremendous amount of effort.
And knowing that you have to get out of the door and face world at some point feels like being asked to climb Mount Everest with a broken limb.

When you wake up with anxiety, it can feel like the world is against you. And that’s hard to shake.

However, we’re not powerless when it comes to morning anxiety. We can prioritize self-care and make changes that’ll help us bounce back when we wake up with anxiety. I’ll get back to that in a minute. First, I want to address some of the reasons why we might find ourselves waking up anxious.

Why do I have anxiety when waking up?

The most common reasons for waking up with anxiety include generalized anxiety and other mental illnesses. But waking up anxious can also be due to stress, a dysregulated nervous system, substance use, or physical health issues.

Let’s take a look at some of these common reasons for morning anxiety:

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)

Generalized anxiety disorder is characterized by persistent worries and associated physical symptoms. The physical symptoms often include – but aren’t limited to – muscle tension, dizziness, a rapid heartbeat, and tiredness.

When I first started experiencing anxiety, I had all of those symptoms. With generalized anxiety, the symptoms are present most of the time, which can make the condition feel truly debilitating.

If we weren’t anxious enough already, experiencing physical symptoms can exaggerate the anxiety even further. This, in turn, can worsen our physical symptoms, which makes anxiety difficult to get a break from.

Uncomfortable symptoms combined with the fact that cortisol levels (our stress hormone) are at their highest in the morning, can make morning anxiety a daily occurrence for people with anxiety.

Anxiety and excess cortisol can also lead to a dysregulated nervous system, which similarly tends to exaggerate symptoms. More on that further down!

Want to know more about how anxiety can show?
Check out my post on strange (but common) anxiety signs and symptoms!

Other mental illnesses

Other mental illnesses than anxiety could also be a reason for waking up anxious. For example, depression can cause an uncomfortable knot-in-the-stomach sensation or cause us to feel restless. Depression can also cause us to ruminate and worry more. All of this can lead to morning anxiety.

Similarly to depression, conditions such as ADHD, PTSD, bipolar disorder and others are likewise associated with symptoms that can cause us to wake up with anxiety.

Stress and excess cortisol

Just like anxiety disorders, prolonged stress can result in excess cortisol in the body. And excess cortisol can produce all kinds of symptoms, including waking up anxious.

Prolonged stress and anxiety, as well as excess cortisol in the body can all lead to a dysregulated nervous system. More on that below:

Waking up anxious: Dysregulated nervous system

The nervous system plays a huge role when it comes to stress and anxiety – including morning anxiety.

There’s much to be said about the nervous system, but I’ll try to stick to a few main points that are relevant for waking up with anxiety:

When we’re facing a stressful situation, our sympathetic nervous system takes charge.
The sympathetic nervous system enables our “fight-or-flight” response, and a bunch of stress hormones are released in our bodies. This is great, and potentially lifesaving, if we’re in a dangerous situation.

Once we’re through this dangerous situation, our parasympathetic nervous system then takes over. This enables our so-called “rest-and-digest” response, which helps our minds and bodies regain balance and relax.

However, if we’re anxious or stressed for a long time, the nervous system can become dysregulated. Our bodies learn to stay in high alert. Naturally, this can lead to waking up anxious among other symptoms.

Additionally, as I’ve mentioned, our bodies release more cortisol in the morning. If your nervous system is dysregulated, this cortisol spike can feel overwhelming and trigger anxiety.

Now that we’ve looked at some of the reasons why we may find ourselves waking up anxious, let’s look at what we can do about it.

I know you probably want to get rid of the anxiety you’re experiencing ASAP. At least, that’s how I feel when anxiety gets to me.

Unfortunately, it can take a while to figure out exactly what works for you. Anxiety can be tricky like that, so please be patient with yourself and know that you will find your way. It takes active work and dedication as well as trial and error. And that’s okay – trust the process.

How do I beat anxiety in the morning?

There are different approaches to beat anxiety in the morning. They typically include things like mindfulness, breathwork, therapy, journaling, and exercise. These are all helpful when it comes to beating morning anxiety. Most of them are scientifically proven to diminish anxiety symptoms as well.

In this post, I’ll be focusing on how to develop an anti-anxiety morning routine that works for you.

How to stop waking up anxious with an anti-anxiety morning routine

The suggestions below are all helpful for dealing with and combating morning anxiety. You can incorporate the ones you feel will help you the most into your own anti-anxiety morning routine.

Having a morning routine can have an anxiety-reducing effect in itself. This is partly because our brains love routine and predictability. Having a set morning routine is also likely to enforce positive habits and reduce decision fatigue.

Let’s take a look at different morning routine components that’ll help to combat waking up anxious:

1. Limit screentime (seriously!)

Remember how our stress hormones spike in the morning? Pair that with excess stimuli from your phone and you’ve got yourself an anxiety-inducing cocktail.

I often get the urge to reach for my phone to distract myself from anxiety in the morning. However, I’ve come to realize that at best, I’m only postponing anxiety by being on my phone. Anxiety tends to sit around and wait for when I’m available. Which means I’ll just have to deal with it later in the morning, when I’m short on time.  

Our phones can also affect morning anxiety in several other ways. We can’t always control what type of content we’re exposed to on our phones. Distressing content can obviously induce anxiety. But other forms of content can induce or enhance anxiety as well. For instance, we may be exposed to content that causes us to compare ourselves to others or causes us to feel insecure.

Scrolling through news, Instagram, or TikTok can also contribute to morning anxiety, simply because we’re moving at such a fast pace. Our brains weren’t developed to process so many impressions in such a short time. So, overstimulating ourselves first thing in the morning isn’t recommended.

Finally, notifications, emails, and messages can enhance anxiety as well. By looking at your phone first thing in the morning, you’re making yourself of service to whatever demand is waiting for you before you’ve had the chance to fill your own cup.

2. Meditation, breathwork, or mindfulness

Instead of spending time on our phones, doing meditation, breathwork, or mindfulness should be our priority if we’re waking up anxious. It can be difficult to get into a routine of doing one of these, but even if you only set aside 10 minutes each morning and do your very best with it, it’ll be so worth it over time.

To get started with mindfulness, you can check out my blog post on the best beginner-friendly exercises in mindfulness. You can also find guided meditations and breathwork exercises on Youtube.

3. Anxiety journal

The more you get to know something, the less scary it becomes.

Anxiety can feel really scary and uncomfortable. Therefore, we tend to do what we can to distract from it, ignore it, and get rid of it. Unfortunately, this can backfire as it confirms to our brains that anxiety really is a threat.

To break with this vicious cycle, I often encourage my clients to keep an anxiety journal. Here, I want them to write down everything about the anxiety they’re experiencing, so that we can get to really know it. What does it feel like today? How did it feel yesterday? What triggers it? What do they think it’s trying to tell them? Etc.

The more familiar we become with anxiety, the better we’re able to manage it. So, seriously, if you were to take only one thing from this post, I would want it to be keeping an anxiety journal for a month and see how it works for you.

4. Reading

Reading is great for soothing anxiety as well. Preferably, reading shouldn’t be an escape from what you’re feeling though. If anxiety has a hold on you already, I encourage you to either sit with it for a while, do some breathwork, and/or write in your anxiety journal.

But incorporating reading into a set morning routine is a great way to soothe your nervous system and prevent morning anxiety over time. Reading doesn’t overload our senses the way our phones do. Also, if you’re up for it, you could read something inspirational to start your day off on a note that sets you up for success.

5. Limit caffeine (this sucks, I know!)

I get it – skipping that cup of coffee in the morning feels like a big sacrifice. Especially when you’re dragging yourself out of bed after a restless night. But if you’re waking up with anxiety, that beloved cup of coffee is probably doing more harm than good.

Caffeine is a stimulant, and while it can give you that energy boost, it can also increase your heart rate and stimulate your nervous system. For most people, this will exacerbate anxiety symptoms.

I’ll have to admit though; As much as I want to, I haven’t learned to drink tea in the morning yet. I’ve only stretched as far as to switch to caffeine-free coffee on some days and to completely skip coffee in the morning on other days.

If you’re able to, switching to herbal teas that have calming effects would be ideal in the morning. Switching to decaf coffee might also help.
Listen to your body and notice how it reacts when you lower your caffeine intake. You might be surprised to find that you feel more balanced and less jittery. I know I do.

6. Sound and movement

Incorporating gentle movement and soothing sounds into your morning can be incredibly grounding as well. Consider starting your day with some light stretching or yoga. This not only helps to wake up your body but also eases muscle tension and encourages a calm mind.

Pair your movement with calming sounds. This could be nature sounds, soft music, or a guided meditation. The combination of movement and soothing sounds can help regulate your nervous system and set a peaceful tone for the day.

7. Proper breakfast

Skipping breakfast or grabbing something quick and sugary can wreak havoc on our blood sugar levels and our mood. On the other hand, a nutritious breakfast can stabilize our energy and mood, helping to keep anxiety at bay.

Aim for a breakfast that includes protein, healthy fats, and complex carbohydrates.
For a quick breakfast, I usually go for rye bread with a slice of cheese, a boiled egg, and a piece of fruit. Other options include plain or Greek yoghurts with nuts and berries. Or even a balanced smoothie made the night before if your mornings are busy.

Eating a balanced meal will fuel our bodies and minds and provide a solid foundation to handle whatever the day throws at us.

8. Planning and visualization

Taking a few minutes to plan our day can also make a huge difference in managing morning anxiety. When we have a clear plan, we reduce uncertainty and feel more in control. So try to write down your essential tasks for the day and prioritize them. I’m highlighting “essential” because I don’t want you to overwhelm yourself with an impossible to-do list that adds to your anxiety. Visualization is another powerful tool you can try once you’ve planned your day:

Spend a few minutes visualizing a successful and calm day. Imagine yourself handling tasks with ease, staying calm, and feeling good. This can help to boost confidence and set a positive tone for the day. It also increases our chances of handling the day with intention instead of falling prey to anxiety and let that stay in charge.

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I truly think the best way to beat morning anxiety is by creating an anti-anxiety morning routine. A routine that works for you when you’re waking up anxious and helps to soothe your nervous system.

I hope the suggestions above for an anti-anxiety morning routine are helpful. I encourage you to pick one of the suggestions (or to come up with your own!) to commit to incorporate into your mornings. Once you’ve made that one suggestion into a habit, you can then add onto it until you find the morning routine that works for you.  

Personally, I’m going to commit to set aside 20 minutes each morning to journal and listen to soothing music. I’ve done it before and know it works for me, but I’ve slipped out of the habit.  

Let me know in the comments what works for you when you’re waking up anxious. I’d love to hear about your experiences.

If you want more tips for managing anxiety, you can check out my post on 3 effective strategies to manage anxiety!