Did You Know Meditation and Mindfulness Aren’t Always Beneficial for Everyone?

Four people meditating. Photo credit: Canva

Meditation and mindfulness are often hailed as miracle tools for managing anxiety and stress. And while they can be transformative, the truth is they don’t always work for everyone—or at least not right away.

In fact, for some people, these practices can bring up unexpected challenges.

The Unexpected Effects of Meditation and Mindfulness

If you’ve ever sat down to meditate only to feel worse afterward, you’re not alone. While these practices aim to help you find calm, they can also:

- Bring Up Intense Emotions: Meditation encourages self-awareness, which can unearth emotions or memories you may not be ready to process, especially if you’ve experienced trauma.
- Trigger Feelings of Detachment: For some, mindfulness can lead to dissociation—a sense of disconnection from yourself or your surroundings.
- Overstimulation: For those with anxiety, focusing inward too intensely can feel like sensory overload, where every thought and sensation feels amplified, rather than calming.

These reactions are more common than you might think, and they don’t mean mindfulness isn’t for you. They just mean you might need a different approach.

Why These Reactions Happen

Meditation and mindfulness work by bringing attention to the present moment, but for people with anxiety, that can sometimes feel overwhelming. If your nervous system is already on high alert, sitting still and focusing inward can amplify what’s already there—racing thoughts, uncomfortable feelings, or even physical tension.

The good news? Struggling with mindfulness isn’t a failure; it’s a signal. It’s your body’s way of telling you to approach these practices differently.

3 Tips to Practice Meditation and Mindfulness Safely

If you’ve ever felt like meditation or mindfulness isn’t for you, these tips can help you try again in a way that feels more comfortable:

1. Start Small: Don’t feel pressured to dive into a 30-minute meditation session. Start with just 2-3 minutes of focused breathing or listening to a guided meditation. Short sessions can help you ease into the practice without feeling overwhelmed.

2. Stay Grounded: If focusing inward feels like too much, shift your attention outward. Try grounding exercises like:
- Noticing five things you can see, four you can feel, three you can hear, two you can smell, and one you can taste.
- Touching a familiar object, like a soft blanket or a cool glass of water, and describing the texture.

3. Be Gentle with Yourself: Meditation isn’t about perfection. It’s okay if your mind wanders or if some sessions feel harder than others. The most important thing is showing up for yourself with kindness.

Making Mindfulness Work for You

When approached with care, mindfulness and meditation can still be incredibly helpful for managing anxiety. The key is finding an approach that fits your unique needs and allows you to feel safe in the process.

In my program Thrive More, Stress Less, I dive deeper into these challenges and help you explore how mindfulness can be tailored to work for you—without triggering overwhelm or anxiety. You’ll learn practical tools to manage stress, build resilience, and approach mindfulness in a way that feels safe and effective.

Learn more and join the full course here: Thrive More, Stress Less

Your Turn to Reflect

Have you ever struggled with meditation or mindfulness? What has worked—or hasn’t worked—for you? Share your thoughts in the comments. You never know who you might help by sharing your story.

Mindfulness isn’t about doing it perfectly—it’s about finding what works for you. Let’s explore that together.

Next Steps

If you’re ready to stop fighting your anxiety and start transforming it, Thrive More, Stress Less is here to help. This program goes beyond quick fixes, giving you the tools to understand your anxiety, respond to it, and create lasting change.

The first step is always the hardest, but it’s also the most powerful. Are you ready to take it?

Learn more about Thrive More, Stress Less here.