Panicky feeling after meditation

Hi all,

I started meditating a few days ago for the first time. I’m only doing about 5 minutes a day at the moment. I tried it again just now and felt a sense of panic right after, like a panic attack was coming on...still feeling it now but trying to calm myself down. I wondered if anyone had any ideas why this might have happened? I’m also not sure whether to continue with the meditation...it’s made me quite scared to do it again!

Any ideas?

 

Totally common. I had that before, especially in the early stages of my pain. I could not sit still for 1 minute and 5 minutes with my own mind being still was a torture. Keep on going! Practice, practice, practice. After you master the 5 minutes, move on to 10. Some days take a break if it helps. Get comfortable being uncomfortable during those 5 minutes. It will go away, I promise!
Also, this is a sign that your body is in a highly anxious, sensitized state. That's one of the precursors for TMS.

 

Yes. You are adding a new "pathway" to your brain. I think we have been in the same routine pain thinking for so long that when you decide to shift into something healthy, your brain panics and gives you that fight or flee adrenaline. Our brains work by pattern...like driving a car. Once you do it a number of times, you don't have to think about each step. Now, you're doing something new. Stick with it. Try first thing in the morning when your brain is more open to new ideas.

 

@Patrisia described it exactly right. My anxiety rises about 10-15 minutes into it. If I keep going, 5 minutes later I enter a relaxed state, and that's when the healing part of meditation begins.

 

Thank you all, that’s really helpful. It’s obvious I still have a lot of repressed emotions and anxiety inside of me but I will stick with the meditation.

 

This thread is very interesting. I am one of those people who feel worse and get panicky when doing breathing exercises. Taking deep or slow breaths (from my tummy not my chest) seems to make it hard to breathe!

I assume this is similar but it does makes it hard to persevere with the rest of a meditation or relaxation guide.