Many people feel confused about meditation
If you browse Reddit, you’ll repeatedly see questions like:
- “Why does meditation relax other people, but make me feel more tense?”
- “The quieter it gets, the louder my thoughts become.”
- “Am I just not getting into the right state?”
What these comments share is not a lack of effort, but a subtle sense of confusion and self-doubt:
If everyone says meditation works, why does it feel so hard for me?
If you’ve had similar experiences, one thing is worth saying clearly:
You’re not alone — and it doesn’t mean something is wrong with you.
I tried meditation many times
In different forms:
guided sessions, breath-focused practices, silent sitting —
and I stayed with them for a while.
But almost every time I sat down, the experience was similar:
- A surge of thoughts appeared
- Ideas, associations, and images kept unfolding
- The harder I tried to “calm down,” the more alert my mind became
It wasn’t that distractions disappeared.
It felt more like my thinking was amplified.
I’ve always been someone whose mind works through association —
ideas connect easily, thoughts emerge naturally.
For me, doing nothing or thinking nothing
has never been a state that arises on its own.
Meditation does not work the same way for everyone
In psychological research and practical discussions,
it has become increasingly clear that:
The experience and effects of meditation vary across individuals,
and are influenced by attention patterns and psychological traits.
If some of the following experiences feel familiar,
meditation may simply feel less accessible:
- An associative or creativity-driven thinking style,
where ideas arise naturally and attention doesn’t settle easily on an empty focal point
- When external stimulation decreases, awareness tends to increase
rather than immediately soften into relaxation
- Attention stabilizes more naturally through gentle action
than through complete stillness - In total stillness, physical tension, discomfort,
or emotional tightness may become more noticeable
Instead of forcing stillness, try a different entry point
Once I understood this about myself,
I stopped insisting that I had to meditate.
I began asking a different question:
What if, instead of pulling attention inward,
I gave it a gentle, concrete place to rest?
I started focusing on very tangible elements:
- The sensation of my hands
- Subtle differences in color
- Repetitive movements without pressure
- Processes without a “right” outcome or evaluation
For example, puzzles — especially those with restrained colors
and low visual stimulation.
What meditation and puzzles share
When both reach a settled state, the experience is often similar:
-
A reduced sense of time
Time is no longer constantly monitored; experience feels continuous. -
More stable attention
External distractions and mental noise fade into the background. -
Less self-evaluation
The question “Am I doing this right?” quiets down. -
Greater presence
Awareness rests in what’s happening now.
Where meditation and puzzles differ is not the outcome, but the entry path
-
Direction of attention
Meditation emphasizes inward awareness.
Puzzles rely on external, concrete perception. -
Entry threshold
Meditation often requires sitting with uncertainty before settling.
Puzzles provide an immediate, tangible focal point — color, texture, shape. -
Timing of self-judgment
Meditation can trigger early self-monitoring.
Puzzles rarely ask for self-evaluation. -
Body involvement
Meditation emphasizes stillness.
Puzzles use small, repetitive hand movements to support attention.
Why puzzles feel more accessible for some people
During puzzling, attention naturally rests on:
- Color variation
- Shape matching
- Gentle, repetitive hand movements
Many people notice that:
- When they look up, more time has passed than expected
- Time wasn’t endured — it was forgotten
- Self-evaluation receded into the background
This experience closely resembles what is often described in effective meditation, but the entry is more direct and carries less pressure.
A quiet that doesn’t require meditation
Over time, these experiences shaped my brand, MusePiece.
It’s not a meditation product,
and it’s not meant to teach a “correct state.”
It’s simply a way to arrive at quiet
without sitting cross-legged, closing your eyes,
or clearing your mind.
If meditation has always felt distant
If meditation has never been your natural entry point,
it doesn’t mean you lack depth, focus, or discipline.
It may simply mean
you need a different path to a similar state.
For some people,
that path isn’t found in the breath —
but in the hands.