5 Simple Things I do to Fight my Anxiety at Night

Sleeping has become one of my greatest struggles. I’ve spent countless nights, tossing and turning, staring at the ceiling with a million thoughts rushing through my head.

Regardless of how tired I was that day, I still find it so difficult to close my eyes and get rid of all those thoughts – my anxiety is just eating me alive.

My anxiety is always at its peak just before I go to bed. It’s like I’m too scared of closing my eyes and falling asleep because I’m afraid of waking up.

I’m so afraid of waking up to yet another dark day and this fear is what constantly feeds my anxiety.

It’s what keeps me awake till 5 to 6:00 in the morning and I’m just so exhausted of having to go through this episode for days and sometimes even weeks – it’s just a constant cycle and I wanted it to end.

I needed it to end.

I need to start learning how to stop feeding my worries and start managing my anxiety. And I wanted to share this journey with you.

That’s why today, I have decided to share with you 5 Things I Do To Fight My Anxiety at Night.

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Listen to an Inspirational Podcast

My worries, fear and thousand thoughts are always at their worst just when I’m about to go to bed. I figured one of the best ways to shift all those negative thoughts is to listen to something positive.

Something that will somehow give me hope that maybe tomorrow is not going to be so bad. So, I started listening to an inspirational podcast and somehow doing this helps alleviate the stress and fear that I’m feeling – it calms me down.

So, if you feel like all your worry thoughts are starting to pop up, try listening to something that will make you feel good, something that will motivate you.

It doesn’t even have to be limited to listening.

If you love to read, get your favorite book or maybe try reading a couple inspirational affirmations before going to bed.

As long as it helps you shift all your negative thoughts into something more positive, then it’s definitely worth doing.

This has been a part of my night time routine for a while now, and this definitely made sleeping a lot more bearable for me.

Clearing Your Mind

I admit I was never a believer in mindfulness and breathing exercises before. I knew that those practices worked for a lot of people but I thought that there’s no chance of it working for me.

The thing is, I was always letting my anxiety take control of my thoughts — it already had this strong grip on me and I thought that a simple breathing exercise is not going to loosen that grip.

But of course, I was wrong. Doing this does not only help me clear my mind and focus on the present, but it also helps me detach myself from all my worries, from all my fears.

So, now every time I go to bed and when I feel like my anxiety starts to creep in, I close my eyes and I start breathing slowly. I do this for about 5 minutes and it truly makes me feel so much better.

Writing down My Worries

When all my worries, fears start rushing through my mind, I grab my journal and I write each of them down.

Doing this makes me feel that I’m acknowledging my worries in a more concrete way instead of just thinking about it.

This helps me separate myself from all my thoughts – giving me a sense of clarity and peace of mind. It helps calm my anxiety.

If your worries are keeping you up at night, try writing them down before going to bed, doing this has surprisingly helped me in ways I never thought it would.

Limit Your Exposure to Negativity

With Social Media having the power to make us feel bad about ourselves, and with news sites constantly talking about crime, corruption, and accidents – I figured exposing myself to that amount of negativity before going to bed is only feeding my fear and anxiety.

So, instead of spending your time browsing through Social Media or watching the news or anything that triggers your fear and worries, shift all your energy and focus your attention on something positive. Something that will make you feel good about yourself.

Unplug

This goes hand in hand with what I mentioned above. In this day of age, we are always and I mean always on our phones, laptops and other electronic devices. Constantly checking our emails, scrolling through Social Media, hoping that those things will lull us to sleep.

But in my experience, it doesn’t. Those things just make my anxiety worst. It just feeds it until it consumes me.

So, I switched my routine. An hour before going to bed, I put my phone down and I do something else. I read. I play with my pet. Basically, anything that’ll make me feel more centered and calm.

And I can’t emphasize enough how doing this small change made a huge impact in helping me manage my anxiety.

Doing something that I love or something that makes me happy helps me get rid of my fear of having to face another day.  It gives me a feeling that tomorrow’s going to be different – a good different.

If you are living the same nights as I’ am, know that you are not alone. I understand how exhausting it is to spend your nights constantly ruled by anxiety. Remember, that you are strong and you are a fighter.

Please note that we all have different coping mechanisms, so some of these tips may not work for you but don’t give up. Identify your triggers, learn how to stop them and keep going.

Your Turn…

What do you do to reduce your anxiety at night? Let me know in the comment section below or send me an email, I would love to hear from you!

DISCLAIMER

I am not a licensed therapist. If you are suffering from a major disorder and need treatment please seek the help of a professional to get the help you deserve.