Is meditation making me irritable?
January 9, 2013
Ideally meditation will make us less, not more irritable, but sometimes people do find that irritability or other uncomfortable experiences come up when they begin mediation. I just answered a question from Danielle who is having this problem. The question and answer are worth posting, as it’s much easier to find articles about the benefits of meditation than about the challenges that may come along.
Q (from Danielle who recently started meditating):
“The past week I feel I’m more irritated than I usually am, mostly about other people. Is it possible that meditation makes you more sensitive to sounds, noise, etc? Have you heard it before that people become more irritated in a time where they meditate? Of course it is possible that other issues in my life attribute to this feeling. Do you have a suggestion or should I just let it be?”
A: ”There could be a number of reasons that you are feeling more irritable and you will need to experiment with and explore them to see what is happening. As you say, it could be issues in your life and not have to do with the meditation. Some people become irritable when under stress. If it is related to the meditation, I can think of three possibilities:
1 – You are coming out of meditation too quickly. If you get deep into meditation and then come out really fast, it can cause a headache or irritability. Always take time to come out of meditation slowly.
2 – Sometimes emotions that are under the surface can come up in the deep relaxation of meditation. We may become more aware of things that we are feeling. This ties in with the life issues. You may be more aware of how you are feeling about things, perhaps something that you are angry about, or it could even been some stored anger from the past. In either case, let the feeling be there in meditation, letting go if you notice resistance. When you are out of meditation, see if you can find the source of the irritation.
3 – You are straining in meditation. Ideally meditation is effortless, or you develop the habit of backing off when you realize you are trying too hard. It could make you irritable if you are making too much effort.”
I asked Danielle to keep me posted on what she discovers as she explores these possibilities. I’d love to hear from you if you have had similar experiences or challenges with meditation.
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14 Responses to “Is meditation making me irritable?”
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I have had a similar thing…. This is one possible answer.
Meditation helps us to see the truth right?
So when u can see the truth of nature and you start to develop wisdom interacting in the world can become at first more irritating because now you can see the truth and it can make u irritated. However this is part of the practice, to see the truth of nature and see truth about people and the way the world works with all the evil, bad and foolish things and without getting irritated this is the real practice.
Peter, thanks for adding your perspective. It is possible that the clarity brought by meditation could cause us to see things we didn’t before. I don’t feel, however, that the goal of meditation is not to get irritated with anything. It’s natural that some things are irritating to us, and to me meditation is about being natural and accepting that!
I have noticed a similar happening since establishing a regular meditation routine. I relate it to all these underlying mental patterns and thoughts I was previously unaware of and now are very aware of. Its frustrating at times to be so aware of them and watch myself (either in the moment or retrospectively) get pulled into them. Makes me irritable to watch this occurance……has anyone else had similar experiences? And if so, what did you do?
Namaste, Steph
Steph, We all have mental patterns and thoughts we’d rather not have and the resistance to them and rejection of them causes suffering. Hopefully meditation will ultimately bring increasing acceptance and ease with ourselves and with “what is”. It may depend a lot on the style of meditation you are doing how easily this will happen.
I experience irritation on occasion as well. For me, it is often a result of my monkey brain not wanting to quiet down, or a discovery of an emotion I was being too busy to want to see. In all cases, I accept this feeling as well and welcome it in. Some days are easier than others. So glad you brought this up Mary as I wondered if it was just me.
Wendy, have you noticed that sometimes your monkey brain is going and yet it doesn’t irritate you? Could be irritation comes up sometimes and we just pin it on to something (monkey brain, noise) whereas it’s just there because of the state of our nervous system that day or something being “released”. There are so many possibilities, but in any case you’re right about acceptance. I think of it not so much as an act of acceptance as a dropping of resistance. Great experience to explore!
At first when using the mini-break on my break at work, I found myself going back to work and being UBER pissed and annoyed for no reason whatsoever and the nights that I didn’t use the meditation, I wouldn’t be so crabby. I couldn’t understand why. I figured that it would be something that would pass and it has. I figured that it was just because it was something new. Try sticking with it for a little while longer. Mary’s meditations have been an INCREDIBLE experience and I am SO grateful for them! It’s made meditation SO productive, something that I wasn’t truly getting from any meditation in the past. I thought guided meditation just wasn’t for me but as it turns out lousy guided meditations aren’t for me! lol. I have found Mary’s meditations to be truly life changing. After three weeks(about 3 meditations a week) I’m already finding it easier to ground myself and calm myself. I hope that, in time, I will be able to control my anxiety completely. THANK YOU SO MUCH MARY!!!!!!!!! <3
Sarad, so glad you stuck with the meditations long enough to get to this place. It is possible that the deep relaxation you experienced in the meditation started releasing some stress or that something under the surface came up at first (to be cleared out). But also, do make sure to take time coming out of meditation, especially when there is an intense experience. If you have extra time and irritability is there, you can lie down and rest (or sit with eyes closed) and simply feel the irritation in your body. That helps it dissolve. Also, you can try the Relief from Stress & Pressure meditation for that. And — last but not least — you are so welcome!
Why isn’t anyone looking into the science of this like the amygdala or limbic system?
Gregg, There has been quite a lot of research about meditation and its effects on the brain. I’m sure you can find some with a search online.
I notice that if I try to listen to a guided meditation on the bus, it helps me relax, but sometimes when I finish, I start to notice how annoying people are around me. The Polish woman with her mobile phone playing the radio loudly, the African teenagers having a loud conversation and being rambunctious, the British guy with the cheap headphones playing music loudly. Ugh! Maybe the issue is that here I am being all peaceful and quiet, and there are inconsiderate people making noise all around me. Perhaps I should just do meditation at home where it’s quiet?
Adam, it’s always preferable to meditate where it is quiet, although it is possible to meditate in the midst of noise. The trick is to not focus on the noise, not resist it. You may find yourself reacting to it (irritability, being startled, etc.) but then the trick is to let that reaction be there. It’s all part of the meditation. If you are relaxed throughout the whole meditation, and only feel the annoyance at the end, it may be that you are coming out of meditation too quickly. That can make you irritable even in the quietest of environments!
I had a similar problem when I started meditating. I think I identified with the third problem. I was trying really hard, and I don’t think I was really getting into a flow state of meditation. I was relaxing, but I was trying to “get somewhere” each time that I meditated. I was in a hurry to feel like I was getting results. This anxiousness carried over into my life and made me slightly more irritable. I had to find some more guided meditations that specifically taught me to just relax and accept the thoughts that go on in my head.
Thanks for this article!
Shawn, yes accepting the thoughts is key! You are welcome.