Do you remember when you were young and as soon as the sun began to lighten up your bedroom you jumped out of bed? I remember those days and miss them so!
Do you ask yourself what happened to the person I used to know, the person who looked forward to the day, that person who was planning their day the night before and couldn’t wait to get out of bed to begin another new day full of excitement mixed with busyness.
General Anxiety Disorder can creep up on you slowly. There may be subtle changes that take place over a period of years until it creeps up on you full blown. Once a person realizes they aren’t functioning like they used to, they also understand that something is wrong. Many people will blame themselves, thinking they are becoming lazy, a loser or have a mixture of feelings which still leads to self guilt.
Suddenly, mornings become a dreadful time because we know when our feet hit the floor internal shaking will begin along with dreadful thoughts. These thoughts are not something we have control over, along with the physical symptoms that people with generalized anxiety disorder feel as soon as they wake up. That’s why it makes it easier to have the room darkened so we don’t have to face the day too early. Yes, it’s a vicious cycle and our mind plays head games with us on a continual basis… sleep longer it says because sleep keeps you from feeling like your going to pass out as soon as your feet hit the floor.
Darkness becomes our friend, the light is blinding.
It becomes more difficult when those we love are awake and ready to tackle the day as soon as the sun begins to shine. One more layer of guilt added knowing those we love are up and enjoying their day long before us. Guilt, because we are fairly certain that they resent us for not being up and sharing the morning with them. As soon as those thoughts enter, the stomach begins to churn, hot flushes may ensue and a sense of urgency may take over if you’re not able to fall back to sleep.
Sleeping may be the only time we find solace.
GAD affects 6.8 million adults…
