What are signs that meditation is working, and what should I do if I don't notice improvements after six to eight weeks?

Most clinical research on meditation programs measures outcomes at 6–8 weeks — the Goyal 2014 meta-analysis in JAMA Internal Medicine, for example, reported effect sizes for anxiety and depression at 8 weeks and again at 3–6 months, which is the standard benchmark most programs are designed around. The signs of “working” tend to be subtle at first and behavioral rather than dramatic.

Common early signs: noticing you are slightly less reactive in a stressful conversation, falling asleep a little faster, recovering from frustration faster instead of carrying it for hours, and catching yourself before spiraling into a familiar worry loop. People close to you often notice before you do.

If nothing has changed after 6–8 weeks, the answer is usually one of three things: practice is too short or too irregular (most likely), the technique is not a good fit (try a different style — focused-attention versus open-monitoring), or expectations are unrealistic. Meditation is not a mood boost; it is training, and the dose matters. Studies that show robust effects on stress and anxiety typically use 20–30 minutes daily, not five minutes three times a week.

Before concluding it is not working, lock in one month of consistent daily practice — same time, same place, same length — and reassess. Most people who stick with it notice at least one change within that window.