Waking Up Happy

Our body wakes up in the past.

Our body wakes up in the past. Our nervous system and primitive brain use the past to predict our present moment safety.

What were your mornings like as a child? If you lived in an atmosphere of fear and anxiety, if you had trouble getting to sleep because adults in the house were drunk, yelling or fighting, and if you weren’t certain of your safety as you slept, hypervigilance prevented you from resting deeply. Anxiety stayed with you on waking. You made it through the night but worry about what this day will bring.

Many people wake up with generalized anxiety and a feeling of dread. This is especially common with adults who experienced fear as a child. Trauma therapist Pete Walker defines this as an emotional flashback.

We can’t go back and change our experience. It doesn’t work to try to talk ourselves out of feeling anxious. It does work to directly calm and soothe our nervous system. Here are some ways to help. Try several and see what works best for you. Notice your response in your body, breath and thoughts.

During the Day

Bathe in sunlight early in the day (See Toolkit for Sleep below)

Practice enjoying what there is to enjoy. My meditation teacher said that in every situation, we can focus on what there…