🥴 When Calm Feels Uncomfortable

Why Stillness Can Feel Unsafe - Includes 4 Gentle Practices To Help You Exhale

⚠️ Trauma-Informed Reminder

Some of what’s shared here might bring up strong emotions or old memories. Please go at your own pace.

✔️ Pause or step away if you feel overwhelmed — that awareness is part of healing.

✔️ Use grounding tools if your body feels tense (a few deep breaths, stretching, or orienting can help).

✔️ Skip this entirely if it doesn’t feel safe for you today. Your emotional safety comes first — always.

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After Tuesday’s post, “10 Ways 5 Years of Daily Meditation Changed My Life,” I wanted to talk about something that nearly made me quit in the beginning - the part no one really prepares you for.

What most people don’t realize - especially trauma survivors - is that meditation, mindfulness, or even simple relaxation can feel triggering when your body isn’t used to calm.

The first time I sat down to meditate, my heart raced, my stomach knotted, and my mind screamed, “This doesn’t feel right.”

I was convinced I was failing.

But what I didn’t know then was that my body was doing exactly what it was designed to do - protect me.

“Calm” just didn’t feel safe yet.

💭 If you’ve ever tried to relax, breathe, or meditate and ended up feeling more anxious instead - this next part is for you.

⬇️ Keep reading as a paid subscriber to learn why this happens and how to make calm feel safe again. Includes: 4 safety practices + 2 worksheets + 4 journal prompts you can start using today.