Anxiety will definitely arise when the mind is still. And having your heart beat like a jackhammer can be off-putting if you're not used to it (I've gotten very used to it). But "pushing" is not the right approach; you need gentleness along with perseverance. One possible approach is not to try sitting for long periods at first, but maybe time brief sits and walking meditation in alternation. During the walk focus on the soles of the feet in contact with the floor. This will ground your energy; then when you return to the cushion focus on the sensations of your body in contact with the cushion (your bottom, to be exact), another way of grounding yourself. You can also cautiously nudge the anxious sensation with a view to observing how it breaks down into its component parts; get very, very familiar with it (from what you say in your post it sounds as if you are familiar with it already). If you try to push it away you will defeat your purpose. Eventually you may begin to settle enough to be able to return to a focus on the breath. Good luck, Laurel
P.S. When I first started noting, I immediately went into jerky, spastic jolts of energy in the legs and then in the upper body as well. Your system may be working out some kind of energetic buildup. If you know that this is normal, you won't be likely to freak out. In every case, the key is to keep an open awareness of whatever is happening.
