When I first learned about meditation many years ago, I didn’t get the point of it.

Sitting still and breathing? It sounded a lot like sleeping. It sounded unbearably boring. It seemed like such a waste of time.

At that time in my life, I would do anything to avoid boredom, stillness, or peace. I had moved to Manhattan to go to college, specifically for the excitement, fast-paced lifestyle and razzle-dazzle of the big city.

But eventually the hectic pace caught up to me. The constant pressure to do and perform, and the nonstop onslaught of activity and stimuli, eventually led to stress, burnout and exhaustion.

The scales had tipped and I sought a return to balance.

I began to long for the calm I had once disdained.

My experience points to the problem that meditation provides the solution for:

In modern life we don’t have an “off” switch.

We are constantly bombarded with information and activities, which demand a lot of mental processing.

Contrast this with the natural world, where fast and furious activity is followed by periods of stillness and calm. There is a natural ebb and flow to life, a rhythmic balance. This means that after moments of high drama or stress, you can catch your breath and regroup yourself.

But in modern, technologically-advanced life, we are artificially amped up by outside stimulus all the time. Our minds can get fatigued by the overload of information.

Even more insidious, a lot of that stimulus (like the media) attempts to influence or control our thoughts, beliefs and behavior.

Do you know who you truly are, and what you truly think and feel?

For me, there are many purposes for meditation.

The most important purpose is to connect with my true self.

The way I do that is by going within.

To go within, I need to spend some time alone in a quiet place, without distractions.

When I let go of distractions, I get a break from mental over-activity. I see it as mental hygiene, a way to cleanse and refresh my mind. Even five minutes of meditation feels like a vacation!

In meditation, it’s normal for thoughts to come up. But I don’t have to attach to them or follow them on their endless tangents and loops. I can simply be aware of each thought as it comes up, and let it go.

This brings me to a state of mindfulness — I have the higher perspective of a non-judgmental, detached observer of my thoughts, rather than allowing my thoughts to control my mood and state of mind.

This practice has helped me to become more discerning about my thinking process.

I can make conscious choices about which thoughts to engage with, and which thoughts to let go of.

If I want to feel good, I will let go of thoughts that put me in a negative state of mind. When those negative thoughts come up, as they often do, I can choose to replace them with positive, affirming thoughts.

Caring for my mind leads to mental clarity and focus, improved well-being, and self-determination.

I’ve become more aware of how the quality of my mental activity affects everything I do.

Caring for my mind and mood is similar to nourishing my body with good, nutritious food. Just as I want to feed my body thoughtfully, I also want to feed my mind and spirit with positive, uplifting thoughts and ideas.

I choose to be around people who are caring, resilient and upbeat. I choose to read books and look at art and films that give me a sense of wonder and possibility.

And just as I don’t want to over-eat to the point of discomfort, I also also mindful about how much I choose to consume with my mind and attention. Too much of anything is not a good thing. Sometimes I don’t need to consume anything at all.

Choosing what I focus on doesn’t mean that I am willfully ignoring the difficulties of life.

It’s more about finding balance. Let’s face it, it’s very easy to find negativity and problems, and in fact we humans have a “negativity bias.” It’s so pervasive that it’s easy to get caught up in thinking that everything is hopeless.

But feeling hopeless is not an effective state to be in. It won’t help to improve a situation, find solutions, or create energy or motivation to do better. And feeling hopeless can be very dangerous to your mental health.

That’s why meditation is so important. It helps to achieve greater awareness, which makes it easier to cultivate positive emotions like joy and peace.

In fact, joy and peace come naturally to us, when we make space to allow it in.

Meditation removes the filters of the outside world, so I have more understanding of what I truly think, feel and believe.

I am able to connect with my Higher Self, the source of inner wisdom.

I feel more grounded and in touch with who I truly am.

I feel love and acceptance of myself, and of others. This affects all my relationships and interactions with other people. I am able to act from a foundation of peace, tranquility and love.

Meditation keeps me focused on the present moment.

We cannot change the past. And there is never any guarantee about the future.

What we can do, is make the most of the present (the gift).

The present moment is all we have.

When I am present in the moment, I can truly engage, feel, and BE. I can fully accept the gift of life.

When I am present with another person, I can give my full attention. I can listen. I can feel. I can empathize. I can connect.

Mindful presence is the quality that creates great relationships, with others and with the Self.

Meditation gives me many gifts that are so valuable. Mindfulness, presence, peace, calm, self-awareness, connection with my Higher Self, mental clarity, positive outlook, self-determination, and improved overall well-being are the benefits I receive from meditation.

What do YOU get out of meditation? Leave a comment below!

ANNOUNCEMENT

You’re invited to my new online group meditation series for creatives.

It’s called CREATIVE ACTIVATION: Art + Meditation Circle.

I lead the group through a brief guided meditation, and then we spend time on our own creative projects. We re-group at the end for some social time. You don’t need to have any meditation experience, to join.

If you’re interested, please go to the Events page to find out more and RSVP.

what's the purpose of meditation?