Doing lots of meditation lately makes me feel very sensitive to some issues, why?

It is actually very common to feel an "opening up" or a heightened sense of sensitivity when you increase your meditation practice. While people often expect meditation to make them feel like a calm, unshakeable rock, the process of getting there often involves becoming much more porous to the world around you.

Here is why you’re likely feeling this way:

1. You are Lowering Your "Emotional Threshold"

Most of the time, our brains use a lot of energy to filter out "noise"—distracting thoughts, subtle feelings, or minor irritations. When you meditate a lot, you are essentially training your brain to stop filtering and start noticing.

• The Result: Things that you used to "brush off" are now being fully processed by your conscious mind. You aren't necessarily more "fragile"; you’re just more aware.

2. The "Murky Water" Effect

There is a famous analogy in meditation: before you start, your mind is like a glass of muddy water being shaken. You can’t see the dirt because it’s all mixed in. As you meditate and "sit still," the mud begins to settle. The water looks clearer, but the sediment at the bottom (old issues, suppressed emotions, or sensitivities) becomes much more visible and defined. You are finally seeing the "issues" that were always there, but previously hidden by the chaos of daily life.

3. Increased Interoception

Meditation strengthens the insula, a part of the brain responsible for "interoception"—the ability to feel what is happening inside your body.

• Because emotions often manifest as physical sensations (a tight chest for anxiety, a heavy heart for sadness), having "better" interoception means you feel the physical "hit" of an issue much faster and more intensely than before.

4. Thinning of the "Ego Shell"

Many people use their ego or "busy-ness" as a protective shield against the world. Intensive meditation can temporarily thin that shield. You might find that:

• Empathy increases: You feel the pain of others or social injustices more deeply.
• Sensory input is louder: Loud noises, bright lights, or even "heavy" conversations might feel more draining.

How to Manage This

If the sensitivity feels overwhelming, it’s often a sign that you need to balance your "insight" (noticing things) with grounding (connecting to the physical world).

• Physical Activity: Heavy exercise, gardening, or even a hot shower can help "reset" your nervous system if it feels too "open."
• Shorten the Sessions: If you're doing very long sits, try cutting back by 10 minutes to see if your "skin" feels a bit thicker during the day.
• Self-Compassion: Acknowledge that this is a sign of progress, not a sign that you are becoming "weak." You are simply becoming more "tuned in."