Here's Why I Meditate, You Should Try It

You are being chased down a narrow hallway. There’s sweat dripping down your entire body. Your arms and face are bleeding from cuts you’re not sure how you ended up getting. Your legs are sore from running for what seems like days and you just want this whole ordeal to be over. 

But something makes you keep running. You just can’t let it catch you. And then, you hear it behind you: an ear-piercing, blood-curdling roar. Whatever that thing is, it’s still coming. It sounds very angry, and those heavy footsteps are getting closer. 

I should probably explain myself before I go any further. Starting in high school, I dealt with anxiety. It’s something that I still battle today. And not just that regular anxious feeling that you get prior to an exam or before asking a special girl or guy out. 

I’m talking about crippling, paralyzing anxiety. The kind of anxiety that renders you incapable of eating or doing much other than curling up in the fetal position and trying not to cry too loud because you don’t want any of your roommates to knock on your door. 

The kind of anxiety that will cause you to rethink a lot of things, including your priorities. The kind of anxiety that makes you feel like you're being chased down a narrow hallway by some blood-thirsty monster from your worst nightmare. The kind of anxiety that leads to bouts of depression. 

Now, I don’t want anyone to think that I’m writing this looking for sympathy. That’s not what this piece is about, and that’s not my goal. My goal is to be brutally honest in the hope of helping someone else who might be silently struggling with a problem similar to mine.

Alright, I’ll hop off my soapbox now. Even though I’m much taller up here. 

I love telling stories, and I’d like to think I’m half-decent at it. I genuinely believe some stories are better told and more meaningful when you know the ending already. It can be a lot of fun to watch a narrative unravel in this way. 

So, allow me to tell you a story by starting at the end. Today, I have a much better handle on my mental health. I’m not saying it never gets the better of me, but I now have the tools and the support system necessary to fight back in a meaningful way. Now stop feeling bad for me. I mean it. 

I know the obvious question you want to ask is something along the lines of the following: “How did you become such a riveting and Pulitzer-worthy writer?” I appreciate those kind words, and the answer is lots of hard work and several great editors who made me sound much more intelligent than I really am. 

But the much more important question you might be asking yourself is, “what did you do to get a better handle on your anxiety?” The first huge thing was admitting I needed to talk to someone and get help. Seeing a therapist has helped me tremendously, and the value of those bi-weekly visits can’t be overlooked. However, the second thing that helped me cope with my anxiety is meditation. 

I know what you might be thinking, so let me explain myself. I know firsthand there is a certain stigma attached to meditating and the people who subscribe to it. Admittedly, I was a skeptic regarding the therapeutic powers of doing nothing other than sitting in silence. 

Then I gave it a chance. And like a lot of other things in life, once I tried it, I found out just how little I really know. 

My first attempts came out of desperation. I had tried self-affirmations, journaling and plenty of other techniques with varying degrees of success. Meditation was my last ditch effort to establish a routine that worked. 

I responded in stages, honestly. At first, it had no effect on me, and I reacted very negatively. I don’t know what I was expecting, but I didn’t start levitating or gain psychic powers after trying it the first couple of times. 

The key to actually getting something out of meditation is the ability to legitimately clear your mind of distractions. The easiest way to do this, for me anyway, is to focus on your breathing. Inhale for five seconds, then exhale for the same amount of time while counting to yourself. 

It’s not difficult by any stretch of the imagination. It just takes practice. Sitting in silence with nothing but your mind can be a challenging thing to do while living in the ultra fast-paced world that we do. Dedicating time to this practice can make you feel like you’re not being productive. 

It certainly does for me at times.  It can be hard to set aside the time I need to center myself with schoolwork and writing deadlines. My biggest piece of advice would be to fit your meditation in where you can. For me, that time is the morning before I leave my apartment for class. 

I set a timer for ten minutes and sit at my desk in total silence. It’s a very simple process, but it has done wonders for me. Not only because it allows me a fighting chance to calm any nerves I might have, but because it gives me the chance to truly be still. And that’s something I don’t get that often in other circumstances. 

I was ashamed of my anxiety for a long time. It has kept me from experiencing a lot over the course of my life. Anxiety is like that monster from earlier. When the time is right, it grows razor sharp claws and comes for me with everything it has. I’m not saying it never catches up to me anymore, because it certainly does. But therapy and meditation have given me the ability to stop running, hold my ground and fight. 

I meditate because it helps me fight my battles. I meditate because it gave me a chance to cope with something that crippled and side-lined me for a long time. I meditate because it made me less afraid of that monster that always seems to be just a few steps behind me. 

Art by Anna Riedlinger