When Working Toward Feeling Well Doesn’t Feel Well

Meditation has been scientifically demonstrated to decrease anxiety, lower stress, and raise wellbeing.

So, with the scientific verdict out, shouldn’t we feel good after practicing meditation?

Well, not always. Sometimes we may even feel worse.

Why?

There are many reasons for this, it could be expectations, tiredness, or maybe just the product of a really difficult day. Here, I want to talk about suppressed emotions.

Throughout the day we are typically consumed with doing one thing or another. There isn’t much time, if any, leftover for silence or solitude. When we sit in meditation, we set aside time to sit with ourselves; we are in more intimate presence with our headspace. Thus, we may become aware of thoughts, emotions, and memories, which otherwise would have been suppressed.

But this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. While in the short term it may be distressing, in the long term it can enable for profound transformation of our mental health by allowing us to shift our perspective to things, which previously caused us unease.

In this sense, we can think of meditation as gently removing the seal from a bottle of emotions, and then equipping us with the techniques to work with these emotions. While the positive effects may not be instantaneously apparent, as with any other practice it takes time for us to hone the craft, and to perceive tangible benefits.