Morning Anxiety & Hopelessness: What To Do When You Wake Up Feeling Weighed Down

I wake up and Horror! I can see the sunlight coming from my window, I look around and I see the person I love next to me, I know I am in my place and in my bed yet still I feel like a bowling ball is sitting on my chest. I look at my body, obviously nothing is there but I can feel it clearly and I can't deny it anymore. This is how I wake up for the past months, always before my alarm goes off when everyone is asleep and the world seems peaceful, everyone seems to be ok but me. 'It's just stress,' I tell myself, 'I know it will pass.' But lately, a new thought whispers back, 'Will it?' I am not convinced anymore.

Some days I jump out of bed, desperately trying to occupy my mind with anything other than its presence. My morning routine, once a comfort, now feels like a monumental effort, like I'm being overpowered by something I don't understand and, frankly, don't want to face. I try to ignore it, and some days are a little lighter. But on other days, this feeling of hopelessness is a suffocating blanket, covering my body and mind, making it impossible to escape it.

I've tried to numb it – with a drink here, extra food there, a bit of weed. And yes, there's a fleeting moment of relief, but then I find I need more and more. The hopelessness only deepens when I realize these 'fixes' aren't enough, and never truly were.

If this sounds familiar, please know you are not the only one waking up feeling this way. So many people carry this invisible weight, believing they are alone in their struggle. This experience, in various forms, is one of the most common reasons individuals decide to seek support and find a path to feeling lighter. So, what can be done? There isn't a one-size-fits-all magic wand, because each person's experience is unique. However, there are strategies that can provide immediate relief and steps towards lasting change:

• Talking it through: Sharing what you're experiencing with a trusted person can be incredibly powerful. Speaking with a therapist, specifically, offers a confidential, non-judgmental space to explore these feelings, understand their origins, and develop personalized coping mechanisms (Oparina, E., Krekel, C., & Srisuma, S. ,2024).

• Breathwork & Meditation: Simple breathing exercises or guided meditations can help calm the nervous system in moments of overwhelm(Fincham et al.,2023)

• Movement: Even short bursts of intense exercise, like dancing or a brisk walk, can shift your mental state(Aylett et al.,2018).

While these in-the-moment strategies are valuable tools, therapy can help you build a more comprehensive toolkit. It’s about understanding why that 'bowling ball' feeling appears and developing resilient strategies not just to manage it, but to reduce its frequency and intensity over time.

You don't have to continue waking up this way. If you're ready to explore how you can feel more at peace and in control, I encourage you to learn more about my approach to anxiety counseling, and schedule a free 15-minute consultation.

Taking that first step can make all the difference.