This paper examines experiences of mindfulness and meditation applications for handling stress and emotional strain. We present a qualitative interview study. The analysis focuses particularly on the role of persuasive functions in the applications, such as notifications, history tracking, maintaining a daily streak, etc. The results suggest that persuasive design patterns can interfere with the original user needs. While providing some advantages for supporting the establishment of a meditation habit, persuasive design patterns also create friction between the application and the users' intentions to reduce stress. We critically examine how persuasive design patterns, intended for increasing performance and personal improvement, may affect the users of meditation apps. Finally, we discuss how persuasive design patterns in the major meditation apps have been instrumental in recontextualizing meditation from a spiritual practice to a productivity practice.