Struggling with Morning Anxiety? Checking Your Phone First Thing Isn’t Helping

08/26/2024

Key Takeaways

01. Checking your phone as soon as you wake up can be a harmful routine that leads to or exacerbates morning anxiety.

02. Symptoms of morning anxiety include increased heart rate, upset stomach, racing thoughts, avoidance behavior, and more.

03. An anxiety breathing necklace is a powerful tool and physical reminder to help regulate one's breathing when you wake up, lowering cortisol levels and enhancing emotional regulation, which can lead to healthier and happier days.

04. Other ways to reduce morning anxiety include developing a routine, avoiding the phone, planning ahead, and reducing caffeine intake.

Use a Breathing Necklace Instead

Do you have a morning routine you’ve fallen into over the years? It could be drinking water, grabbing a cup of coffee, brushing your teeth, or taking the dog on a walk—something that you consciously or subconsciously do as soon as you wake up. With the rise of technology, you may have a different answer that can actually negatively impact the tone of your day and cause morning anxiety—checking your cell phone.

If you reach for your phone first thing, you’re not alone! According to a survey by Reviews.org, 89% of Americans say they check their phones within the first 10 minutes of waking up. Is plugging in immediately to social networks, work, current events, and the other million notifications beneficial to your health, though? Or is it causing your brain and body to feel under attack and stressed out before you even get out of bed?

Here’s why you should start thinking about changing up your morning routine and adding a breathing necklace instead of diving down the cellphone rabbit hole.

Why Do I Wake Up Anxious?

Morning anxiety is something many people go through, and understanding why it happens can help you tackle it more effectively. Grabbing the phone first thing, for example, is a simple but impactful habit that can trigger those immediate stressful thoughts.

When you wake up, your brain transitions through several stages. After a deep sleep, your brain is dominated by delta waves associated with deep, restorative rest. As you wake, your brain shifts to theta and alpha waves, representing a more relaxed, dreamy state. During this time, your brain is still not processing much information, and you’re in a gentle transition toward full alertness.

Eventually, you reach the beta stage, where your brain is fully awake and alert. This natural progression helps you gradually adjust from sleep to a state of readiness for the day. However, this process gets interrupted if you immediately grab your phone and dive into emails, news, or social media. The influx of information forces your brain to jump quickly from a relaxed state to a high alert, increasing your stress and anxiety.

The content you see on your phone can also impact how you feel. If stressful news headlines or work requests are what you wake up to, it can trigger your brain’s stress response. This is because your brain perceives these inputs as potential threats, even if they just come from a screen. This constant activation of your stress response system can increase your anxiety levels, making you feel overwhelmed right from the start.

Another puzzle piece is dopamine, a neurotransmitter involved in pleasure and reward. When you check your phone and see a new notification or update, your brain gets a small dopamine hit. This can create a cycle where you’re constantly seeking that next dopamine boost, making you more anxious if you don’t get it or if the content is stressful. This is also known as digital addiction.

Other Reasons You Might Be Anxious in the Morning

These are a few other reasons you may be waking up with morning anxiety.

1. Cortisol and Your Body’s Natural Wake-Up Call

First, let’s talk about cortisol, the hormone part of your body’s built-in alarm system. When you wake up, your cortisol levels naturally rise to help you get energized for the day. However, this spike can feel overwhelming for some, especially if you’re already stressed or anxious. It’s like your body’s way of saying, “Good morning! Here’s a boost of stress to kick off your day.”

2. The Day Ahead and Its Mental Load

Have you ever found yourself lying awake, mentally running through your to-do list, or stressing about upcoming events? That sense of anticipation can start as soon as your eyes open. If you have a busy day ahead or unresolved issues, your mind might kick into overdrive, cranking up those anxious feelings.

3. The Sleep Connection

How well you sleep can make a huge difference in how you feel when you wake up. If your sleep was disrupted or you didn’t get enough, you might wake up feeling frazzled and anxious. Sleep problems like insomnia or sleep apnea can make mornings particularly tough.

4. Lifestyle and Health Factors

Sometimes, morning anxiety is tied to things like what you ate or how much caffeine you had. If you’re starting your day with a lot of coffee or skipping breakfast, it can affect your mood and increase anxiety. Little things in your daily routine can sometimes make a big impact.

5. Bigger Picture: Mental Health

For some people, morning anxiety might be a sign of a deeper mental health issue, like generalized anxiety disorder or depression. If you find that your anxiety is persistent or interfering with your daily life, it might be worth talking to a healthcare professional for some guidance.

Understanding why you’re feeling anxious in the morning can be the first step toward finding relief. Whether adjusting your routine, improving your sleep, or seeking professional help, there are ways to manage morning anxiety.

Morning Anxiety Symptoms

Signs of morning anxiety are similar to those experienced throughout the day, but they may be more intense right when you wake up due to things like heightened cortisol.

If you experience any of these symptoms as soon as you wake up and/or after looking at your phone, you may be struggling with morning anxiety.

Racing Thoughts: Waking up with overwhelming worry or dread, often about the day ahead.
Increased Heart Rate: Feeling your heart pounding or racing as soon as you wake up.
Shortness of Breath: Experiencing difficulty breathing or feeling breathless without physical exertion.
Restlessness: A sense of agitation or an inability to stay still, even if you’re still in bed.
Excessive Sweating: Waking up drenched in sweat or feeling clammy without any apparent reason.
Muscle Tension: Feeling tightness, stiffness, or pain in your muscles, especially in the neck, shoulders, or jaw.
Nausea or Upset Stomach: Experiencing a queasy stomach, nausea, or gastrointestinal discomfort upon waking.
Difficulty Concentrating: Struggling to focus on tasks or make decisions, even simple ones.
Fatigue Despite Sleep: Feeling exhausted and drained even after a full night’s sleep.
Headaches: Waking up with a headache or developing one soon after getting out of bed.
Avoidance Behavior: Feeling a strong desire to avoid the day’s responsibilities, leading to procrastination or calling in sick.
Negative Self-Talk: A pervasive sense of negativity or expecting the worst can dominate thoughts in the morning, setting a pessimistic tone for the rest of the day.

These symptoms can vary in intensity and may not all be present simultaneously. By knowing what signs to look out for, you can more quickly identify when to jump into healthier habits that support mental health when you wake up.

How to Break the Cycle of Morning Anxiety

If you’re waking up with morning anxiety and struggling to feel motivated, there’s good news. Changing your morning routine and developing healthier habits can help your brain relax and more easily transition from that sleep state to alertness.

Using a Breathing Necklace Can Help

Instead of reaching for your phone, reach for an anxiety breathing necklace! This can be a great tool to help you start your morning off on the right foot.

A breathing necklace is a pendant that doubles as a breathing tool. It is designed to help regulate your breathing by encouraging slow, deep breaths, which are known to activate the body's parasympathetic nervous system—the system responsible for calming you down.

How It Works

The concept behind a breathing necklace is rooted in controlled breathing techniques, particularly by extending the exhale. By exhaling through the pendant, you naturally slow down your breathing to a pace that signals your body to chill out. This slow exhalation can help in several ways:

Activates the Vagus Nerve: The vagus nerve is crucial in regulating the parasympathetic nervous system. Using a breathing necklace to slow your breath stimulates the vagus nerve, helping to reduce heart rate and cortisol levels, promoting a sense of calm.
Mindfulness and Focus: A breathing necklace can be a mindfulness tool. Focusing on your breath and the physical act of using the necklace helps anchor your thoughts, pulling you out of the anxious mental loops that often accompany morning anxiety.
Portability and Ease of Use: Unlike other stress-relief tools, a breathing necklace can travel with you anywhere. You can use it as soon as you wake up, wherever you are, and carry it throughout the day for quick anxiety relief whenever you need it.

If you or a loved one struggles with morning anxiety, incorporating a breathing necklace into your routine could be a simple yet powerful way to take control of the day from the very start and mitigate morning anxiety.

What’s the Best Breathing Necklace?

The Shift breathing necklace is made with medical-grade 316 stainless steel, which bakes the precious metal colors throughout the piece through a proprietary process to ensure it doesn’t scratch or fade. The chamber is specifically measured to slow your exhale to 8+ seconds, ensuring you get the most out of your breath.

We also include a free breath course called TKM: The Komuso Method to learn how to get the most out of the necklace. Our course provides a daily formula to easily incorporate better breathing practices so that you experience better mental health and wellness by quelling those anxious thoughts. By teaching you how best to use your Shift and combining breathwork, emotional granularity, and reticular activation, you’ll learn how to make a habit of feeling more calm and in control.

So, if you experience morning anxiety or anxiety throughout the day, The Shift can help you relax and catch your breath.

The Shift breathing necklace, so much good in one breath.

LEARN MORE

Other Tips To Lessen Morning Anxiety

Don’t just stop at a breathing necklace! Create a multi-staged and comprehensive approach to help lessen morning anxiety and create a healthier routine. These are some ideas to get you started:

1. Establish a Morning Routine

Starting your day with a consistent routine can create a sense of control and predictability, reducing morning anxiety. Try waking up at the same time every day, practicing calming activities like stretching, and setting aside time for a healthy breakfast. This routine can help you mentally prepare for the day, easing the morning anxiety before it takes hold.

2. Take It One Step at a Time

When morning anxiety strikes, it can feel like the entire day looms over you all at once. Try to break your morning down into manageable steps to combat this overwhelming feeling. Instead of focusing on everything you need to do, concentrate on completing one small task at a time. For example, start by just getting out of bed and making your bed, then move on to brushing your teeth, and so on. This approach can help prevent you from becoming overwhelmed and allows you to build momentum as you move through your morning routine gradually.

3. Limit Morning Screen Time

Don’t reach for your phone when you wake up! Instead, try delaying screen time until after breakfast or completing your morning routine. Shoot for at least 20 minutes after you wake up, but even longer is better. If you struggle against the temptation as soon as you wake up, try leaving your phone in another room while sleeping and using a different alarm clock.

4. Get Moving Early

Exercise is a powerful way to combat anxiety. Even a short walk or a quick yoga session in the morning can release endorphins, the body’s natural mood boosters. Regular physical activity helps reduce overall anxiety and can make you feel more energized and less anxious throughout the day.

5. Limit Caffeine Intake

While that morning coffee might seem like a necessity, caffeine can actually increase anxiety levels, especially if you’re sensitive to it. If you find that caffeine exacerbates your morning anxiety, consider switching to a lower-caffeine alternative like green tea or gradually reducing your intake.

6. Limit Decision-Making in the Morning

Morning anxiety can sometimes be worsened by decision fatigue—having too many choices to make first thing in the day. What do you wear? What should you pack for lunch? Who is taking the kids to school? Simplify your morning by preparing the night before: choose your clothes, plan your breakfast, and outline your to-do list. Reducing the number of decisions you need to make in the morning can help you start your day with less stress and more clarity.

7. Create a Relaxing Bedtime Routine

Try calming activities before bed, such as reading a book, taking a warm bath, practicing meditation, or breathing techniques to signal to your body that it’s time to wind down. This helps reduce pre-sleep anxiety and improves the quality of your sleep, making you feel more refreshed in the morning.

Also, limit screen time before bed! Screens emit blue light, which can interfere with your body's production of melatonin, the hormone responsible for regulating sleep. Reducing screen time at least an hour before bed can help improve sleep quality and reduce nighttime stress.

Using various techniques (plus your breathing necklace!) is a great way to reduce morning anxiety and start your day on the right foot. From there, you can work on other healthy habits to reduce anxiety, like avoiding doomscrolling, vaping, digital addiction, harmful cravings, and more.

Still Struggling? Seek Support

If morning anxiety is becoming too much to handle on your own, it’s okay to seek help. A mental health professional can offer strategies tailored to your specific needs, whether through cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), medication, or other forms of support.

There’s nothing wrong with asking for a helping hand when you’re not feeling your best!

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