Meditate, with realistic expectations
It does something real. It does considerably less than it is sold as doing.
Do this
Pick one technique and practise for ten to twenty minutes most days for at least eight weeks before judging. Structured programmes such as MBSR have the best evidence. Expect a modest improvement in anxiety and mood, not a transformation.
Why it works
A large systematic review found moderate evidence for small improvements in anxiety, depression and pain from mindfulness meditation programmes, roughly comparable to what antidepressants achieve for those outcomes in primary care. Evidence for effects on attention, sleep, weight and substance use was low or insufficient.
Where it fails
Much of the literature has weak controls - comparing meditation to nothing rather than to an equally plausible activity. Adverse effects, including anxiety and dissociation, are underreported and occur in a meaningful minority.
How you’ll know
Eight weeks in, ask whether anything outside the cushion changed. That is what was being claimed.