Thinking consumes energy. Constant thought activity, particularly random thinking, can result in headaches or feeling tired. The singular focus of meditation has the opposite effect. In a small way, meditation is like self-hypnosis. The first step is usually focusing on something to take our attention away from the random thought activity, usually going on in our heads.
Some people use pictures, such as a mandala, a highly colored symmetric painting.
Others repeat mantras, with sounds which have a flowing, meditative quality and may be spoken out loud or repeated inwardly. Additionally, guided visualization is a1so considered by some to be a form of meditation. A guided visualization, where another person directs your focus, can help to bring you into a meditative state. Visualization may also be used once a meditative state has been reached to achieve specific objectives. Audio tapes of guided visualizations are listed in the reference section.