Why are evenings better?

[Guest]

I've always felt better in the evening (usually). Less or no anxiety, less or no nausea. And this feeling better is even during the times when I don't think I'm in a bout of intense anxiety. I say "don't think" because I actually think I'm always anxious, just right now more than usual.


Mornings are hell right now. I hate going to bed knowing I'll wake up feeling extremely anxious. I know, the more I fear and think about it, the worse it is.


Does anyone else feel this way (evenings are better)? Any insight from anyone on why this happens?

 

[Guest]

I've felt that way most of my life and have been extremely nocturnal since I was a teen.Why is it I really wonder?


It's dark and quiet and peaceful for the most part....the so called normal world seems far away along with all the problems and daily stressors...the sun blaring down on the daily rat race of work and chores and endless obligations as noise and ringing telephones and bills and deadlines of all kinds gather around you like fleas in a field.All you can think about is getting away if you're like me.Yes....away from all this and back to something that makes better sense...problem is you really can't.


But along comes mother night...the moon soothes,the twinking stars set on their inky black canvas draw your mind into a delicious revery while candles and fireplaces and wine goblets beckon...the embrace of a lover perhaps while the owl calls and nightingale sings...the bats fly and the cat prowls.I love the night and its solitude and mystery..it gives me peace and solace but at some point the sandman must be invited into the proceedings to sprinkle his dust and dissolve all festivities into oblivion because once again,the tedious and banal and really pityful reality most of us are consigned to exist in until death do us part must begin once again as the alarm clock blares and cock crows....all the noise and anxiety,the bullshit and games are back for another 12 hours or so. I do tell myself that my perspective is one of a classic depressive who in fact hates life...I tell myself that real people love the daytime and can't wait for another wonderful dawn to go out and win at everything they get near and live life to the fullest but alas...i'm just not in that group and can't even fake it anymore.

 

[Guest]

Nights are actually worse for me. It is a long stretch of time with no one to communicate with and nothing to do but sleep...if you can even do that.

 

[justsayyes]

Nights are better for me as well, it might have to do with the fact that i can finally relax and then sleep. At daytime, life can be stressful, we have jobs and then we deal with people, the fast paced life can be stressful and it doesn't help with anxiety. At night i can tend to myself, practice yoga or meditate.

 

[rz3300]

I am guessing that in general, social anxiety or not, the night time is more relaxing and comfortable than the day. The notion of the day itself lends itself to being busy and doing things and being out and about and more social, whereas at night you can get away with hiding out more, and so maybe we just feel a little more at home during the night. At least I think that plays a role in it, if nothing else. I am that way too though, and I know that I am not alone. I always like feeling like I am the only one awake too, so I often find myself up late at night or very early in the mornings.

 

[Alex]

I prefer evenings as it means I won't have to interact with people and have a valid reason for not answering the phone, emails or the door. It's like a bit of peace and having control back when you don't feel you have any. Often I prefer to go to bed early just to escape and have time to myself, People can't annoy you then.

 

[joshposh]

I don't know what you work schedule is like, but people tend to work during the day and meet other people at the market. So I like to think that it is a social disorder. At night it's more of a time to relax, get a hot meal and stay home where no one is there to bother you.


That is my guess as far as why you are more comfortable at night. No interaction with other people. Just you at home with your thoughts, where no one can judge you or ridicule you. Or at least that is what is running through your mind anyways.

 

[vegito12]

I think in the evening we may have less stress as we get time to ourselves and also and the mind is going to relax from the hard day we had in the day time and it can mean we can do something for ourself like read a book or play a game which can make the mind busy, and feel like you are in the book or the game, that is what I usually do and it can make me feel distracted from the daily pressures I have to face and ignore them at night. It can be nice when having friends over and the next day can be easy as you have a positive outlook and the day can move quicker as you have the confidence and motivation as well, which makes the mind happy and also the body feels relaxed in the process as well. I usually enjoy having a cold drink and also some snacks which can make me feel full and also doing this with other people can make the evening more better as you can talk to others and playing video games make the time pass really quick and you don't know that this will happen and end up enjoying it.

 

[pwarbi]

Evening are also a lot better for me, and when it gets to about 3pm in the afternoon till around 10 I seem to be at my least anxious about things. In the morning I'm worrying about the day ahead and what I need to do, if I'm going to be able to get through it or not, then at night time when it gets to bed time I start worrying about if I'll be able to sleep and what I have to do the next day, and my mind can't seem to settle or switch off. The late afternoon and the evening are the only time when I seem to be able to relax.


What part of the day you're most anxious will obviously be different for different people, usually depending on their workload and what they have on, but I's expect that for most people the mornings and night will be the hardest to deal with.

 

[amy88]

Nights are actually worse for me. It is a long stretch of time with no one to communicate with and nothing to do but sleep...if you can even do that.

This is much what I find. I think the mornings are easiest for me...I don't know why, but I think like you said it's when everything else is silent that oftentimes I have time to just replay things in my head, and that silence can be deafening.


A big part of my anxiety is social anxiety but GAD too, so I guess in a way it's surprising that I don't do too well when it's dead quiet, but I think it's because I know the people I can rely on are usually not easily accessible to vent to. I mean sure, I could wake my husband up and tell him what's making me anxious, but I can't be doing that every night of the week!

 

[redpanda]

For me, evenings can be more relaxing because I know the day is almost over. When I first wake up, I get anxious thinking about all of the things I need to do, even if they're minor. I worry about how to plan my day and if I'll even get everything done. I also spend a good chunk of the evening spending time with my partner. Spending time with him always helps me calm down and the effect lingers for a bit after he leaves for work later that night. I work most nights before bed so it's not even that work is over and I can relax, it's more that I've gotten through the day and will be sleeping soon.

 

[simonsaysdifferent]

I'm on the same page as @Alex. The night gives me a social acceptable reason not talk to people if I don't want to. I'll stay up until 3 in the morning habitually just to have those hours of privacy in the middle of the night.

 

[Panic57]

Personally, even when I'm really depressed or anxious, nights are better because I'm alone and most of my customers are too. So it's probably the closest I can be to being alone without the expectations that I have to deal with the world. I'm also a little bit nocturnal and get most of my work done at night, so I feel relaxed because I have most of my day's list knocked down to a few so there is less pressure. I think I hate the mornings the most because I have to deal with my list, daily errands, customers, family, and people in general wit their expectations. Very few things can get me out of the bed when I know a day is going to be long and rough.

 

[MissTea]

Evening is when we usually wind down and relax and forget about all the stresses from work and the outside world, and I think that your mind has become conditioned to this and so it expects to relax and feel pleasure every time evening approaches and it associates morning with the beginning of all the stresses again. I think if you took up a practice like meditating every morning it might help you to condition yourself to expect relaxation and pleasure in the morning too, and it might ease some of your anxiety.

 

[Laneorexorcist]

Yes, this is definitely a thing for me almost, well, everyday. When it comes to me, I think that those feelings are related with how many things I have or haven't done yet. In the evening, it's way more relaxing because I feel that the worst part of the day already happened. And I actually go to school on the evening, and I find it way more relaxing that way, I used to go to school in the mornings for almost all my life and I feel that the time was definitely a big factor for me to be stressed/depressed mostly all of those years.

 

[DDNatureLover]

I think it relates to daily routine. I also tend to be somewhat nocturnal, and a lot of my issues have occurred in the mornings, especially when I was working full time day shift, or had morning classes. Trying to get my body to behave the way it's supposed to is always a challenge, and some jobs/classes were harder than others, especially at times when I had a difficult manager or less flexible schedule. I've worked evenings and nights at times as well, and the anxiety seemed to follow the work/school hours, so for me, it seems to be more about societal expectations and my body's inability to conform, than the particular time of day. I do think there are often less triggers at night, though, since there's usually less traffic, and less noises and expectations. Even working night shift was usually less stressful than the other shifts, because less was going on, and I had more autonomy.

 

[NormaD]

I have always looked forward to my evenings as a time for me to sit back, relax and just let the stress of the day drain out of my body, to be picked up again the next morning when I get up to start another day. I think a lot of people are like that and when it gets towards evening they find themselves subconsciously relaxing and letting go of stress, and they tend to dread the morning. I agree that a good way to combat this would be to find an activity that is calming and soothing that you can do in the morning and incorporate that into your daily routine. That will help you start to look forward to your mornings as well as your evenings.

 

[misszerable]

I always look forward to relaxing evenings at home as I would usually have a hectic day. It's the time of day that I can do what I want to do. I love the peace and quiet that night time brings. That's not to say that I always spend the night sleeping. It just feels more relaxing when I know that no one's coming, that I don't have to make choices or decisions.

 

[sidney]

Well, if you want a time where everything is quiet, then evenings are definitely the best times for peace and quiet. As for me, when I feel anxious, I just try to sleep it off. As always, when I wake up, I feel a little bit better.

 

[Aree Wongwanlee]

Evenings are better for me, too. I think there are two reasons for this. One, ever since I was a child, I am used to doing my work late at night. Now, even if I were to wake up early in the morning, I still take many hours to reach my full speed, so to speak. So, by the time it is evening, I am working at full force. That's when I get the most things done. Of course, it helps that evenings are cooler. In fact, at night, it's even better. The lack of sunlight makes for less distraction.