The Meditation Mismatch Conundrum

Oct 24 2023

Dear Diary,

Something curious has been happening to me, and I realized I’ve never documented it here. I’ve been making an effort to meditate, both in the mornings and evenings. My goal is a 15-minute session each time. In the mornings, I generally manage quite well – some days are better than others, of course. However, evenings are a completely different story.

When I try to sit in meditation during the evening, I often become very restless. It feels like all I want is to relax and indulge in mindless activities like watching movies or series. Diving deeper into this restlessness, I’m met with waves of distressing emotions. I do my best to release and let go of these feelings, but navigating through them can be exhaustingly challenging.

The contrasting experiences between your morning and evening meditation sessions highlight the complexities of the human mind and how various factors like daily stressors, accumulated emotions, and even natural biorhythms can influence our state of being.

Mornings, for many, often bring a freshness – a blank slate where the weight of the day hasn’t yet settled in. By evening, your mind might be sifting through the day’s events, unresolved emotions, or anticipations for tomorrow. These naturally surfacing thoughts and feelings during your evening meditation might be presenting themselves for processing and release.

While the instinct to escape these feelings through distractions is entirely human, confronting them head-on (as you’ve been trying) is a courageous endeavor. Remember, meditation is less about ‘succeeding’ and more about ‘observing’. It’s okay for every session to be different.

Exercise: To navigate these evening emotions, you might consider starting with a short grounding exercise before your meditation. This could be a brief walk outside, some gentle stretches, or even simply taking a few deep breaths. Grounding can serve as a buffer, helping you transition from the day’s chaos to a more centered state.

Every meditation is a journey, regardless of the destination.
It’s okay to feel; observation without judgment is key.
Evening restlessness is an invitation to deeper self-awareness.