Evening and nighttime anxiety

Little_Owl

Hi all, I'm wondering if anyone has any advice on reducing anxiety? I am a gerally anxious person and have a diagnosis of generalised anxiety disorder as well as autism. I also suspect that I have C-PTSD.

I am generally ok during the day but as it reaches about 7pm I start to feel a sense of dread and fear but I don't know what I'm scared of. It feel like something awful is going to happen. It gets gradually worse until I'm terrified. It's affecting my sleep and my appetite has disappeared in the evening. I used to love evenings, watching a film or curled up with a book but I'm now a nervous mess. I'm reluctant to try medication because I find it makes me feel numb, like a zombie, or it makes me really drowsy and sedated. Any tips for natural things I can try would be appreciated. At the moment, I am doing yoga once a week, more if I can, and I find heated blankets and weighted blankets helpful but it's not really touching the anxiety. I have tried meditation but tend to end up feeling more anxious than when I started, if I can switch off at all!

durhamjaide2001

I am sorry to hear that do you know what you are anxious about on a nightmare? How long has this been going on far?

Morgan_Scope

Hello @littleowl. Have you thought about trying journaling in the evening? Writing down how you're feeling might help you figure out any triggers or patterns in your anxiety.

Even if it doesn't help you find the cause it can be quite theraputic and calming to put your feelings into words rather than keeping them mixing around inside. . Even if you don’t identify a clear cause, it can be therapeutic to put those feelings into words.

I had a similar issue with meditation and tried the opposite and tried exercising in the evening and meditating in the mornings when I was feeling calm and found this worked for me. There are some great sounding suggestions on the Sleep Foundation website which you might find useful.

I understand your hesitation with medication, but it might be worth discussing it with your doctor as they may have other suggestions or be able to look at options you feel comfortable with.