As a recent college alumnus, I've been going through some self-reflection recently about my experiences through higher education. I wish—and I think I speak for most young freshmen when I say this—for those four years to be a period of learning, soul-searching, and finding my passions. 

Contrary to expectations, I found myself bombarded with studying and minutiae, with social drama and academic demands puppeteering my every waking moment. Instead of taking control of my life, I felt as if I was constantly at the whims of others, and as a result, went through periods of unhealthy stress and pressure. My watershed moment was in my junior year, when I discovered the power of mindful meditation.

For those reading who are still in school, or who are just feeling stressed about the troubles you encounter on a daily basis, I'd like to share how the simple act of meditation can bring a better sense of harmony and purpose into your lives.

Now, of course, there have been a bajillion articles published on the internet about the power of meditation, but I'd like to mostly focus on my personal experiences and how small moments of quietude can help you find balance and peace in your daily lives.

I think that most people have a sort of esoteric or mystical association with meditation, as if it's some sort of voodoo activity partaken by hippies and cultists. In fact, the power of mindfulness and tranquility has roots in Buddhism from India and Daoist traditions in China, and has thousands of years of history. While meditation practices were not historically widespread in Western culture, there has long been a rich and diverse tradition of meditation in East Asia, especially in ancient China. Ancient texts have been discovered from 500 B.C., which detail the benefits of breathing exercises. If you want to find out more this article on the origins of meditation is a fascinating read, I would highly recommend.

 But what does this have to do with us? What time do we have for sitting around idly with our eyes closed when stressful and often important events crop up every week which demand our attention?

I used to think the same, until I made a habit of a few minutes of meditation every day. Rather than entering a state of pseudo-sleep, I learned from various literature how the key was to strive to empty myself of all pursuits and thoughts. It was a feeling of heightened awareness, but encapsulated in a shell of bodily stillness.

After just a few short minutes, I found my mind less cluttered and more organized, primed for a healthy session of studying. This act of focusing the mind was essential for me to endure the pressures of numerous last-minute assignments and late-night cram sessions.  

In particular, I remember stressing out the night before an LAS research paper was due. No matter what I did, I just couldn't find the words to cap off my synthesis paragraph. My mind was a mess of classroom drama and half-coherent concepts from class. In my despair, I decided to just shut down for a few minutes and let my thoughts float and disperse. After a session of emptying my head, I suddenly found the missing connection between my conclusion and thesis. It had been in my mind all along, just obscured by a mess of worries, like a beautiful sky blanketed by dirty smog. It was the act of mental cleansing that allowed me to find my footing and continue writing.

One of my favorite reads is legendary basketball coach Phil Jackson's Eleven Rings. In the fourth chapter, "The Quest," Jackson details how Zen meditation, a state where thoughts drift transiently in and out of the mind, was crucial for his approach to leadership. In coaching the Chicago Bulls team of the 1990s, he often held group meditation sessions with the headstrong players of the team. This included alpha dogs Michael Jordan and Dennis Rodman, with whom Jackson sought to foster unity and focus through these meditation sessions.

The book illustrates a point, namely, how a lot of the struggles of communication and socializing come from the barriers and inhibitions in our own minds. I was always introverted and socially awkward early on in college, and becoming more in tune with my emotions and mind was what allowed me to step outside my shell. Developing a deeper connection with ourselves is what I believe to be key to connecting with others. To that, I can only thank the clarity of mind that mindful emptiness gives me for my greatly expanded social life.

My experience with college life is that there is an overwhelming focus on the maximizing and stockpiling of experiences. There is never enough time to finish academic work, socializing, etc., while keeping our personal health a priority. On the other hand, meditation is all about reduction, removing the unimportant and finding our values. If I could impart anything to those reading who are just freshly entering college, it is to trend towards less, rather than more. To reduce is actually an action of finding that which is truly important to us.