What is what to do when you wake up from a nightmare?

Waking up from a nightmare can be a disorienting and frightening experience. Here's what you can do to help yourself:

• Acknowledge and validate your feelings: It's important to recognize that your fear and anxiety are real and valid. Don't dismiss them. Tell yourself it was just a dream.

• Regain awareness of your surroundings: Open your eyes and focus on where you are. Look around the room, touch your bed, and remind yourself that you are safe and awake. This helps ground you in reality.

• Breathe deeply: Practice some deep breathing exercises to calm your nervous system. Inhale slowly and deeply through your nose, hold for a few seconds, and exhale slowly through your mouth. Repeat this several times.

• Drink some water: Sipping some water can help rehydrate you and provide a small physical task to focus on.

• Engage a calming activity: Do something that you find relaxing, such as reading a book, listening to calming music, or taking a warm shower.

• Avoid dwelling on the nightmare: While it's important to acknowledge your feelings, try not to replay the nightmare in your mind repeatedly. Distract yourself with other thoughts and activities.

• Consider journaling: If you find yourself frequently disturbed by nightmares, consider writing down your dreams in a dream journal. This can sometimes help you understand the underlying causes of your nightmares.

• Seek professional help: If nightmares are frequent, severe, and disrupting your daily life, consider seeking professional help from a therapist or counselor. They can help you explore the underlying causes of your nightmares and develop coping strategies. They can help you dealing with insomnia.