Why might meditation initially increase anxiety?

Written by

Reviewed by

Published: October 01, 2025

Updated: October 01, 2025

An increase in anxiety that occurs during meditation is a common experience that often surprises beginners. This unexpected reaction occurs because the stillness of meditation causes previously suppressed feelings to arise. The mind becomes aware of emotions that were previously buried beneath the distractions of everyday life. The emergence of these feelings is actually progress in disguise.

Emotional Unburdening

Stillness creates space for suppressed worries to emerge
Mental chatter decreases allowing emotional awareness
Past unresolved tensions surface for processing

Physical Awareness

Attention highlights existing physical tension
Body scanning reveals subconscious anxiety patterns
Noticing sensations amplifies their presence initially

Cognitive Shifts

Mindfulness disrupts avoidance coping mechanisms
Confronting thoughts feels uncomfortable at first
Mental patterns resist change creating temporary friction

Managing Initial Anxiety Surges
Phase	Strategy	Benefit
First sessions	Short 3-5 minute practices	Prevents emotional overwhelm
During anxiety spikes	Grounding through breath counting	Maintains present focus
Post-meditation	Gentle movement transition	Integrates emotional processing
Persistent discomfort	Loving-kindness phrases	Builds self-compassion

Reduce session length if anxiety becomes overwhelming

Managing Initial Anxiety Surges

PhaseFirst sessionsStrategyShort 3-5 minute practicesBenefitPrevents emotional overwhelm

PhaseDuring anxiety spikesStrategyGrounding through breath countingBenefitMaintains present focus

PhasePost-meditationStrategyGentle movement transitionBenefitIntegrates emotional processing

PhasePersistent discomfortStrategyLoving-kindness phrasesBenefitBuilds self-compassion

Reduce session length if anxiety becomes overwhelming

Recognize that your temporary discomfort is healing you. Your mind is learning how to process emotions instead of avoiding them. Absolutely everything in your life needs time to adjust, and this period can last for one to three weeks. Regular work on this will build new neural pathways. These pathways will eventually allow for autonomous management of the anxiety.

Now is the time to strategically adjust your experiences. Allow the sessions to be shorter if necessary. During the breathing exercises, pay attention to *physical* sensations. If you find your feelings overwhelming, take a break and come back to it later. Writing down the feelings after meditating helps to process what has arisen in the mind. These adjustments will help your *growth*.

Acknowledge the long-term rewards of this process. Surface feelings lead to real solutions. Patterns of avoidance are permanently reduced. You will build healthier response pathways in the brain. This solidifies the apprehension and distrust. The short-term pain leads to long-lasting emotional freedom.

Read the full article: Meditation for Anxiety: Your Complete Guide

Share on Facebook Post on X Share on LinkedIn