The time right before we fall asleep each night (and right as we wake each morning) is powerful. In this liminal state, our minds are prone to wander, dream, and come up with spectacular ideas and realization.

Unfortunately, this is also a time when anxiety and stress tend to run rampant in our brain and bodies. Stressful thoughts can easily arise, and we can find ourselves in an anxiety spiral before we know it. Sometimes, we may find ourselves struggling for hours.

Why Does Anxiety Happen More at Night?

The reason that you may experience the symptoms and feelings of anxiety more when you’re falling asleep is simple: when we’re laying in bed at night, we don’t have the distractions and activities of our days to preoccupy our mind and attention. When we’re laying in bed, waiting for sleep to come, we are more susceptible to our thoughts and emotions because we have nothing blocking their flow.

If you’re experiencing anxious thoughts and symptoms at night, it’s highly likely that you experience anxiety throughout the day as well, you just may not notice it as much.

In addition sleep problems may actually induce anxiety, in the same way that anxiety causes sleep problems. According to Psycom, “researchers have found that the relationship between sleep problems and anxiety is bidirectional. This means that sleep problems can cause anxiety, and anxiety can disrupt your sleep. And just like anxiety, sleep problems can impact how you function emotionally, mentally, and physically.”

Where Does Anxiety Come From?

Anxiety affects everyone differently, and its causes are just as varied, but generally: anxiety tends to spur from worrying about things that may happen. That constant questioning of “what if?” and going down the rabbit hole that accompanies every possible answer.

And this is another reason why anxiety is so paralyzing. Anxiety triggers the “fight or flight” response in the body, which can be helpful, if the situation merits it and we find ourselves in real danger. But this is not the case when we’re laying in bed at night. As an article on Healthline.com explains:

“The problem for those suffering [from] anxiety is that usually there is no need for the anxiety. The physical danger is not real and there is no need to fight or flee.”

Anxiety is usually completely self-imposed. It’s the manifestation of our brain spinning up stories and scenarios that cause us stress, worry, and even panic.

But this is also the good thing about anxiety: it begins in our minds, which means this is also where we can take steps to keep anxiety at bay, and even prevent it in the first place. And this is where specific, calming mantras can really come in handy.

Mantras to Help Reduce Anxiety at Bedtime

The mind is such a powerful tool in both creating and quashing anxiety, and employing meaningful mantras that we repeat out loud to ourselves or silently in our heads can do wonders to help calm our racing minds, focus our breath, and help diminish anxiety.

Here are a few helpful mantras for specific scenarios or feelings that may be triggering your anxious thoughts:

For overwhelm: “There is time for everything. And now is the time for sleep”

Feeling overwhelmed with all we have to do or manage, or feeling like our lives are out of control are some of the quickest paths to stress and anxiety. Much like feelings of anxiety, feelings of overwhelm are completely self-imposed, 99% of the time. You can work yourself up into feeling stressed and overwhelmed, and you can readjust your mindset and take action to diminish it. The good news is: everything is figure out-able, and with the right planning and approach, you can get your life back into alignment and feeling manageable. But in the short term, repeating to yourself that you HAVE the time will help calm your mind and also rewire your brain to believe that, yes, you do have the time for everything.

I’m actually working on a program right now that helps you find better balance, gain control, and take your power back in your own life! Get on the list to learn more about this program and be one of the first to hear when it’s available right here.

For money: “There is ALWAYS enough money. My hardship/debt/situation is temporary.”

Unfortunately, money is one of those things that causes stress and anxiety most in our lives: Not having enough money. Worrying about not having enough money. Stress over debt. Stress over bills, our income, our jobs… and the list goes on.

But the thing about money is – our stress around money usually directly correlates to our mindset around its availability in our lives. The best way to adjust our relationship with money and reduce anxiety is to work on cultivating an abundance mindset, which is something I talk a lot about because it TRULY can make a difference, not only in your level of stress, but also your level of income.

Adjusting your mindset around money to realize that money truly is always available to you – there are ALWAYS ways to make money, spending money is good thing, and money flows to you easily – will do wonders to reduce your anxiety and increase your prosperity. And speaking (or internally repeating) a mantra like the one above is a great way to start.

For employment/work stress: “The perfect opportunity is coming to me. It’s just a matter of time.”

To be successful, you must first believe you are successful. You must see yourself as you wish to be, and believe it is your reality. This is the power of self-image, and self-actualization.

This same concept applies to searching for a new job, or other work and business-related stresses. Calm yourself by knowing that the perfect opportunity IS coming your way. And the only reason you haven’t found it yet is because all other opportunities that may have come up so far haven’t been the right one.

Speaking this mantra to yourself, and giving yourself the grace that, yes, your perfect opportunity is coming, will help diminish stress and increase positivity. This change in attitude will then radiate out of you and help you proactively ATTRACT those opportunities into your life!

Speak this mantra out loud until you believe it to be true – as long as it takes. And watch it work in your own life.

Other Tips for Managing Anxiety and Improving Sleep

In addition to practicing the mantras above, depending on what is causing your stress, there are some other tactics you can implement to help you sleep easier when night time comes.

Take deep breaths. As mentioned above, anxiety triggers a “fight or flight” response in the body, which causes physical symptoms such as a quickened heart rate. To counteract these symptoms, force yourself to take deep, slow breaths, over and over again.

When I was dealing with anxiety-induced migraines many years ago, I could always tell a migraine episode was coming on because my heart would be pounding and one of my arms would start to go numb. After a while, I learned that if I focused on my breathing, and taking very slow, very deliberate breaths, my heart rate would start to slow almost immediately, which would prevent the migraine from coming on. Do NOT underestimate the healing power of breathing!

Exercise. One of the simplest ways to bring on sleep more easily (and to keep anxiety and stress in check) is by moving your body and getting some exercise. Cardio and highly aerobic activities will bring on fatigue more directly, but practicing yoga can also help calm your mind’s activities and prime you for a restful night of sleep. To fully reap the benefits of exercise for sleep and anxiety management, make sure you fit in your workout at least a few hours before bedtime (if not in the morning), to help your body fully wind down.

Limit screen time. This is nothing new – you probably know by now that your electronic devices (like your phone, tablet, and TV) emit light that keeps your brain awake. To help you fall asleep more quickly and easily, try to put ALL screens away at least 30 minutes to an hour before bedtime. I don’t always follow this rule, since I usually read from my iPad before going to sleep, but I make sure the brightness is turned all the way down. It works for me!

Be mindful of what you read before bed. Reading before bed is a great way to relax and get your body and brain powering down for sleep, but not all reading material is ideal for before-bed reading time. Save your self-help and anything that might “fire you up” for daytime or morning reading. Fiction books and “lighter” reads are perfect for pre-snooze perusing.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help. If these tactics aren’t working, and your anxiety is interfering with your health and wellness, whether mental or physical – do not be afraid to ask for help. Schedule an appointment with your primary care doctor and talk about what’s going on – they will be able to provide some help and/or refer you to someone who can.