Meditation — ah, that time when it becomes painfully obvious that your brain is filled with enough thoughts to fill the Smithsonian. If only they were that important. Or needed. Or history making.

But, we’re human, last I checked. Nearly all of us have thoughts ranging at any moment from the next big idea/dream to what we need at the store. And absolutely everything in between.

This little (cough) detail is what kept stopping me from meditating, over and over. It grew so annoying, and I spent more time, it seemed, trying to deal with all those THOUGHTS than ever feeling peaceful or less stressed. In fact, watching all those THOUGHTS go by felt more stressful at times. There were thousands of them. They multiplied like bunnies. Oh, dear God, what were they like when I wasn’t trying to limit/control/shut-them-the-hell-up?

All the usual ideas didn’t help. See them as clouds passing by. Sure … damn cloudy in my mind most of the time. Pop them like bubbles. So busy popping bubbles there was no room for quiet. See them as balloons floating off into the sky … oooh, pretty balloons!

But, then, in reading, “10% Happier by Dan Harris: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help That Actually Works – A True Story” (another totally worth it read), I got the answer that worked. Here’s it in a nutshell:

Name the thought. Like: Oh, there I go making a list again. Or: Oh, I’m writing. (Me – writing when I should be meditating, not writing when I should be, well, writing.) Or: I’m arguing. Planning. List-making. Worrying. Debating. Re-doing past events.

Name it, drop it.

Something in that simple noting the thought made them stop. It felt easy, effortless, and, better yet, in an instant I was back to meditating. Quietly. Not chasing bubbles or clouds or bunnies.

Try it. There are so many ways to go about any one thing. If you want to make something work, like meditation, keep trying and experimenting. That’s how you figure out what makes it work for you. YOU. Or try the whole bubble or cloud or balloon thing. Maybe that’s your ticket into peace.

Bonus tip: Another good one, when you’re feeling some emotion, is to simply state, “I feel (fill in the blank).” I was stunned to see how well this worked. I just didn’t believe (before) it could be that simple. But I’m always a willing experimenter. So, one day while meditating, I was feeling sort of weirdly anxious. I said to myself (me and myself — ah, we have such great conversations …), “I feel anxious.” Simply acknowledging the fact. Not trying to brush it aside, fix it, ignore it. You know what happened? It poofed. Gone. I felt calm and myself again. Not after another hour of meditation either. (Which I never do — c’mon, I’m not that well behaved.) In.that.very.instant. This might not help always, but, again, why not try?

Why I pursue things like meditation: I believe you should always go for the things that do not harm first to soothe what ails you. For me, it was needing that sense of calm and quiet and, as a bonus, stress relief. If it can’t hurt, why not try it? If it doesn’t work, and you need more help, then — and only then — do you move up the scale. Slowly. Still plenty to try between absolutely can’t hurt and probably gonna have side effects.