Waking up with an EF

[Elphanigh]

Hi everyone, I am in a bit of a predicament. For the last about week and a half, I have woken up in the morning super triggered... like full on EF, that takes me hours to get out of. I am really just exhausted from waking up this way every day.

I have tried meditating before bed (matter of fact it has been about the only way i can get sleep), cut my caffiene intake, stopped watching tv before bed... etc.

Has anyone had this happen before?? My life has been stressful, and just one problem after the next lately.. it is starting to wear me out and I need to be super focused.

Any ideas?

[Three Roses]

Yes me too, but not currently. Went thru a rough patch for a while, waking up every morning in an EF. I tried different things, but mostly it just seems to have resolved itself.

[Elphanigh]

Thanks Three Roses. Hopefully mine will do the same

[Healing Finally]

Hi Elphanigh  - my guess is the stress of what's going on in your life right now is what's aggravating the EFs, maybe you feel you have no control? 

When I get overwhelmed I can get really depressed because I feel I have no control.  Then I get mad at myself for not being able to be control. 

And NOW I'm starting to understand I get mad at myself for my EFs (maybe it's a new stage of accepting them) and this does NOT help me move through them. It sounds like you are working hard to prevent them, maybe you are doing something similar that keeps them around... 

[Blueberry]

Yes me too, but not currently. Went thru a rough patch for a while, waking up every morning in an EF.

During that phase I kept waking up feeling like my Inner 16 year-old, my Inner 11 year-old etc. It was really difficult. I had no idea how to deal with it and no T at that time either. I ended up getting so sick I couldn't even get out of bed in the morning. Eventually I got a spot in inpatient trauma therapy. We didn't work on that stuff directly, though we did work on strengthening my Adult person. I don't think in my case that it would have resolved itself. It might though for you Elphanigh because you ARE in T and read up on here etc.

[Elphanigh]

Thank you so much everyone! The encouraging and validsting words are so helpful. I truly appreciate them

HeallingFinally, maybe I am doing something similar that keeps them around, I am not sure what it would be. I think you are right about it being all of the stress in my life.

Blueberry, I hope mine can be resolved without anything too major

[Bev1101]

Hi,
Thanks for asking and I hope you are doing ok.

I've just joined the forum and mornings are when I get them too. Always very strong in the mornings and most days.

I've been told different things about why mornings can be worse. I noticed that when I sleep deeper they are stronger. I think that this is because my body relaxes during the night and in the morning the EF is part of the constantly being on-guard coming back online. It feels that way. I managed today to head it off at the pass for the first time after reading about the inner/outer critic stuff and sensing that just a millisecond before the critic blurb, there is this sense of the tensing starting in my body, right through my gut, where I feel the shame/fear during/after EF.

I don't know if that helps. A therapist also said we can be more vulnerable in the morning due to having fully rested/relaxed/let guard down, and that vulnerability can scare us into an EF. Mornings are also hard for a lot of people without even throwing CPTSD into the mix.

Do you wake with them, or do they come on very shortly after waking as thoughts creep in? I thought I was waking with them, but then noticed the critic was going into hyperdrive upon waking and this was triggering them.

Bev

[Elphanigh]

Thank you for responding, I am glad that you have joined this place. Your question is great, and very important. I do believe I was waking shaken from some nightmare and then would have intrusive thoughts that would cause the ef. I think your therapist is very wise for this.

Sorry I do not have more words for this, it has been a long week.

[2Spirits]

I've been waking up with EFs most mornings for almost 4 years. Lately I have found out something about myself, but I'm not sure yet if it's really true (will watch it for some time). It's quite astonishing for me: when i get a small Ef for some little trigger, i get by emotions. Not really bad, but not in control what's happening. And this is what causes a really big EF, because i get terrified for getting flooded (i.e. being helpless, which is a really big trigger). So what really helps me out of it is telling myself: I am afraid because I am flooded and i am stopping this now. And then i can stop it by labeling the panicky part "only a part of me" and actively activating another part of me that's talking to the scared part. So I'm no longer helpless, and it becomes manageable.
It really would be great if it keeps going on like this and i have finally found a way to deal with my morning EFs! I feel really dumb for having so much of them and being disorganised every morning, and it's not always easy to be friendly and compassionate to myself about that.