Waking up feeling anxious or feeling a sense of dread can lead to overthinking and rumination and stop you getting out of bed while you figure out what to do. In this episode, Carly shares some effective actions to try, so anxiety doesn't dictate the rest of the day.
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Carly Taylor is a Mental Fitness Coach passionate about helping people tame their mind so they can live a rich, meaningful and fulfilled life. She is trained in ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy), Japanese Psychology, is an IIN qualified Health Coach and is currently undergoing a Masters of Counselling.
For more information, go to carlytaylorcoaching.com.au or follow her on Instagram: carly_taylor_coaching.
Hi, everyone, Welcome to this week's Mojo Monday. I'm Carlie Taylor, and today I'm going to talk about an experience that many people have, and that is waking up with a sense of anxiety or dread. It's that heavy feeling when the day hasn't even started, but your mind's already frantic or running on overdrive, or as I said, that heaviness that you can feel when there's this sort of sense of dread for the day. So let's talk about how we can manage this effectively. And I'm going to share a really simple but effective approach that has been inspired by psychologist Nick Wignall. So we're going to call this the morning anxiety trap. So that's what we wake up with, this feeling of anxiety, and our first instinct is to try and fix it. So we start asking these questions, why am I feeling like this? Or what do I need to do to get rid of this anxiety? And then we start over analyzing, trying to think of, well, what's happened or what may happen, and then this results in worrying and overthinking about how we can make our way out of the discomfort that we're feeling, and it's not a great way to start the day. So anxiety isn't something that we can think our way out of. So when we've got a problem in our external world, we're really good at solving problems, but we can't apply that same approach to our internal world. And the more you stay in bed and ruminate, the stronger the association becomes between waking up and feeling anxious, and then it becomes a habit. So instead, what Nick Wignol advisors is to take the focus away from the thoughts and go directly to behavior. So you shift your focus from the overthinking to taking action. And these are small, purposeful actions that will help you short circus the anxiety response. So what you do is going to sound really simple when I say it, but please know that I know that actually doing it is not as simple as talking about it. And that is you get out of bed immediately. So the moment you wake up and you feel that wave of dread or you feel that anxiety wherever it is in the body, don't linger in bed. Don't stay there and try and think your way out of it. And your mind is going to come up with so many excuses because it tends to do that anyway, first thing in the morning, when the alarm goes off, you know, to be like, oh, well, I didn't sleep well the night before, so you know, I just need to get a little bit more sleep. I just need a few more minutes. But the thing is with that is staying in bed to try and figure it out. It only reinforces this link between lying there and feeling anxious. And it's really hard, as I said, especially when you're tired. But getting up immediately is the first step to breaking this cycle. And it reminded me of Mel Robin's technique. So Mel Robins, who I'm sure many of you know, she's got the five four three two one technique and this can come in really handy. So the moment you feel this hesitation creeping in, you count five four three two one and you move. You get your feet on the floor, You take that first step and you get out of bed. Hardest part done. And then once you're up, drink a glass of water, because that will not only hydrate yourselves, but it will be the first little boost of energy. And these simple actions aren't just about waking up your body. They're signaling to your brain that it's time to shift gears, and this is where the beautiful Japanese approach to life Icky Guy comes in. So next, what you do is something that brings you joy. So don't reach for your mobile phone and start reading the negative news or looking at other people's perfect posts. Create a routine that's just for you, one that feels enjoyable and grounding, and the goal is to give your brain something positive to look forward to, so it helps rewire those neuron connections over time. So I'll give you some ideas. First one is to make your bed. Now, this might not sound very enjoyable, but if the first thing you do is make your bed, you've ticked off something productive, like a productive action straight away, right from the get go, and then you'll get rewarded with a little dose of dopamine, and that's the dope mean of motivation, so you're more likely to do it again. The next one is something that I do as something I really look forward to. It's my little Icky Guy experience every morning, and that is I go and make a cup of coffee and I really savor it, so I'm not being distracted doing other things. I actually will sit and I might journal or I might read, or I might actually just sit and look out the window and just really really enjoying my coffee, and it's something that I look forward to and it does get me out of bed. Other ideas you could watch the sun rise or take just a moment outside. You can go hang with your dogs, or spend time with whatever pets that you have, go for a walk, journal cook breakfast, or start doing lunches for your kids. And this is another one that I really enjoy doing, is making my kids lunches. And I think it's because it brings me joy to know that they're preparing something that's really nutritious for them, and that brings me joy knowing they've got a nutritious and tasty lunch. Or you could read a book or listen to music, whatever it is. The specific activity doesn't really matter. It's as long as you enjoy it, as long as it's something that brings you a little bit of joy in the morning. And then you do it consistently, because what you're doing is you're training your brain to associate waking up with action and positivity rather than dread. So rewarring these habits, it takes time. Initially, your mind might pull you back in to worry mode or that feeling of dread mode because it's been your default setting for so long. So these things do take time, and there is a level of comfort in the familiar. But each time you resist the urge to stay in bed and instead dive into this new routine, you're taking these small but powerful steps towards change. So morning anxiety and dread that doesn't have to define your day, but it can if you allow it to. So by taking these small, consistent actions, starting with getting out of bed, you can retrain your brain to approach the mornings with calm and purpose and even a sense of joy. So remember, it's not about perfection, it's about showing up and taking that first step. So I challenge you, if you do go with morning anxiety or morning dread tomorrow morning, when that wave of worry hits, try the five four three two one technique. Get out of bed, grab a glass of water, and then start your day with something that brings you joy, something that you're going to enjoy. So thank you for joining me. Hope you all have a great week and I will catch you next Monday.