06/09/2025

Morning Anxiety is Real

If you wake up with a feeling of dread, you’re not alone

Sometimes, it can feel like whatever is stressing you out — that deadline, a big meeting, the news cycle — is showing up first thing in the morning. You may wake up with a pit already forming in your stomach and your anxiety high before you even get out of bed.

"It can feel like this fog of confusing and unpleasant emotion," said Kate Wolitzky-Taylor, an associate professor of psychiatry at UCLA.

Bushra, a 22-year-old student at University of Texas at Dallas, said every day she wakes up feeling anxious. "It's a very physical sensation," said Bushra, who asked her full name not be used to protect her medical privacy. "My chest feels like a crushed can of Coke."

Please select this link to read the complete article from The Washington Post.