[ADeepSandbox]

I've been having a lot of anxiety lately over various life things (money, grief, the future) and it's worst at night when I'm trying to relax and go to bed. I have to work hard to ride out the grip of it in my chest and work through breathing and just hang on by my fingertips when there's so much fear that I can't even cry. It makes me feel crazy and voiceless, like all I can handle is breathing in and out.

Do you experience anxiety at night and what helps you get to sleep? Besides meds. I listen to music, try distraction, try thinking positively about what's upsetting me, etc but I could use some more strategies.

[honeysalt]

So sorry you are going thru this... The thing that helps me the most is grounding.
There are so many ways you can do this.

Listing (in your head, out loud, written down, however you process best) five things you can see, four you can touch, three you can hear, two you can smell, and one you can taste.

If you are a tactile person it can help to pick a few objects (fidget objects, e.g. a slinky, stuffed animal, squishy toy, etc...) to keep where you can access easily when you're stressed or anxious to play with and to focus on.

There are tons more that are out there but these two help me the most. They work because they are engaging all of your senses and allowing you to focus on things that are in the present. When you remind yourself that you are physically here, in this room, at this moment it's much easily to mentally "be there" and realize that you don't HAVE to be worrying and hyper-focusing on things that aren't occurring in this very moment.

I wish you the best and please always feel free to message me if needed

[Yoda]

My anxiety is not specific to a time of day but sometimes after I have had nightmares I try to 'plan' what I will dream about during the night and make a fantasy in my head that would be a good dream.

Using grounding, as honeysalt says, has been helpful to me managing ptsd flashbacks. Touching the fur of my horse or a cat helps lots and even stroking a stuffed animal when I am in bed helps me.

[OneInBillions]

Yeah, the anxiety gets especially bad at night for me too. I guess it doesn't help that I usually browse forums and Facebook before bed, which typically include some post or comment that I get all worked up over. Even when I manage to abstain from the internet before bed I'll usually work myself into a frenzy anyway. I think it's a major contributing factor for my insomnia.

Unfortunately my best coping mechanism is a bad one -- I pick at sores on my arms and it calms me like nothing else will. But when I can't or try not to pick, I've found that occupying my mind with something else really helps. I like stories, so I'll make up something in my head, complete with characters and setting and plot and all that. I'll go over it again and again, adding more complexity, and eventually it tends to lull me to sleep. Maybe that sounds weird but I swear it works! You also might try white noise like a fan or something. I seriously cannot sleep in silence.

[captaineo]

It helps if you get up the nerve to go out and exercise, I watch some motivation videos on YouTube and try to get my self in the zone. At night I also see everything so negative but try to see a movie that helps me or reading a book. Everyone's story is different but I cry at night too asking why this crap has happened to me and the truth is I have no one, I thank god I have found this group where we can share. But yes my friend exercise and some movies may help.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[captaineo]

Love you all stay cool

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[honeysalt]

Definitely second the white noise for sleeping suggestion. I have terrible insomnia (due to medical issues not anxiety) and am only able to sleep a few hours every other day or so and I personally cannot do it without fans and YouTube vids. Usually I'll play one of the videos made to help babies sleep i.e. driving in the rain, or ASMR videos with headphones. Of course some people don't find noise helpful but it wouldn't hurt to try if you haven't already.

Hope you all have a decent day today.

Originally Posted by honeysalt

So sorry you are going thru this... The thing that helps me the most is grounding.
There are so many ways you can do this.

Listing (in your head, out loud, written down, however you process best) five things you can see, four you can touch, three you can hear, two you can smell, and one you can taste.

If you are a tactile person it can help to pick a few objects (fidget objects, e.g. a slinky, stuffed animal, squishy toy, etc...) to keep where you can access easily when you're stressed or anxious to play with and to focus on.

There are tons more that are out there but these two help me the most. They work because they are engaging all of your senses and allowing you to focus on things that are in the present. When you remind yourself that you are physically here, in this room, at this moment it's much easily to mentally "be there" and realize that you don't HAVE to be worrying and hyper-focusing on things that aren't occurring in this very moment.

I wish you the best and please always feel free to message me if needed

responding to your second comment about fidget objects, i have some square blocks i figit with.. they not only help me, but they also make a noise.

i think part of the problem why psymptoms for so many people are worse at night, has to do with the fact that at night you just don't have distractions.. during the day you have sounds of carrs on the road, people talking, you don't have any of that at night

i find putting the tv on to a programme i like (or choosing a dvd i enjoy), helps me through the night.

gives me something good to try focus on

i'm not saying it always works (and it certainly won't work when the others are talking)

but it's better than laying their scared half to death

[honeysalt]

SS, one of my favorite fidgets is made of wooden rectangle blocks that are connected by a stretchy string thing so you can move them around to make different shapes, if that makes sense. I love the noise of the blocks against each other, I find it so calming. Also love Jacob's ladder toys for the same reason.

Another thing that I think is worth pointing out is that with every coping skill you add to your list, it's important to practice using at times when you aren't in panic mode because it starts to get you in the habit of doing it before you absolutely need it. It's difficult enough to have bouts of severe anxiety and going thru everything that it entails and the last thing that you're going to want to do while dealing with all of that uncertainty is try out a brand new technique that you're also uncertain about.

[riri111]

my anxiety starts in morning,,right after i wake up.i can't face another day like this...at night i feel kinda ok.

Originally Posted by honeysalt

SS, one of my favorite fidgets is made of wooden rectangle blocks that are connected by a stretchy string thing so you can move them around to make different shapes, if that makes sense. I love the noise of the blocks against each other, I find it so calming. Also love Jacob's ladder toys for the same reason.

Another thing that I think is worth pointing out is that with every coping skill you add to your list, it's important to practice using at times when you aren't in panic mode because it starts to get you in the habit of doing it before you absolutely need it. It's difficult enough to have bouts of severe anxiety and going thru everything that it entails and the last thing that you're going to want to do while dealing with all of that uncertainty is try out a brand new technique that you're also uncertain about.

hey honeysalt,

first.. welcome to the forum!. it's good you joined. i know it's a little late, but i didn't see your name until now.

i think those fidget things you use sound great. do you make them?, or can you buy them from somewhere

[honeysalt]

Thank you I'm not sure of the proper name but I got mine at a local book shop that has lots of little wooden toys. I'm 19 so my previous T was a "child" therapist and she had lots of little bits like that, which is where I discovered it.

edit: quick search revealed it's a "Whatz It Fidget Toy" (fitting name)

[triplewater11]

Originally Posted by ADeepSandbox

I've been having a lot of anxiety lately over various life things (money, grief, the future) and it's worst at night when I'm trying to relax and go to bed. I have to work hard to ride out the grip of it in my chest and work through breathing and just hang on by my fingertips when there's so much fear that I can't even cry. It makes me feel crazy and voiceless, like all I can handle is breathing in and out.

Do you experience anxiety at night and what helps you get to sleep? Besides meds. I listen to music, try distraction, try thinking positively about what's upsetting me, etc but I could use some more strategies.

I just wanted to echo what others are saying, and agree with you that night anxiety is the WORST. I used to have the more GAD type, ruminating in my head about various tasks and to-do lists while laying in bed, and now I have the panic feeling which is 10x worse. I am trying to address this myself and come up with some strategies to get myself in a sleep zone. My body will be dead tired but it's like my brain will not shut off and let me sleep. And not sleeping makes me more anxious, so then I get anxious about not sleeping. it's not a fun ride! We can do this though!

[handheart]

Try to not think so much at things that you worry because you will get stressed out and you anxiety will get more power .Try to change your thoughts by being gratitude and admire everithing you see until you have a nice sentiment and you will see that you will attract more good things in your life .

[HD7970GHZ]

Definitely relate to this problem!

Especially in the last two years. Usually it is after I am traumatized by hurtful people. I cannot stop my mind at night, even if I use DBT and mindfulness skills gallore. I have gone for walks at 3 AM in the middle of rainstorms to try and get my mind off things, listened to music, jumped in cold showers and hot showers, baths, called distress center for hours, grabbed my teddy bears and wrapped in blankets and diapers and held ice in my hand for hours. I also find it hard to cry when I am like this - it is like there is a blockage to express my deep anguish in tears but I know that when it happens I feel less pressure in my chest... Something really embarrassing and perhaps bordering on breaking forum rules (I apologize in advance admin and to fellow members of the community if this is sharing too much), but when I am ruminating and I CANNOT stop, the last thing I want to do is self harm... So instead, I masturbate. I have found this to be engaging enough to override most of my negative emotions and ruminations... It works for me, perhaps it could work for others.

I can't believe how the ruminating snowballs and triggers all kinds of memories and traumas. So I find it important to try and notice when it starts and utilize as many skills as possible to stop it from escalating into a panic attack.

Thanks
HD

Anxiety is worse in morning for me but sometimes night is ROUGH.
Like now...so I am on here..soon I will try a movie to try to relax.

I relate to the ruminating!Ugh!

[Unrigged64072835]

I usually have anxiety at midday, but I get it at night as well. I try to focus my mind to some kind of fantasy or safe place. It doesn't always work though.

[mindwrench]

I have noticed some of my worst anxiety is at night. It seems like my manic episodes are at night, or maybe it stands out more because everybody else is sleeping, and i should be sleeping, but anyway when i get paranoid and afraid it is more often at night. I think for me there is a sense that I'm alone at night too, even though I'm alone in the daytime, I could always walk outside and see somebody and know they see me, but at night it's like there is nobody in the other houses on my street, just me in the world alone.

[Fuzzybear]