I have found it to be very helpful

A couple of my friends have done Vipassana, where you meditate in silence for ten consecutive days. Both of them said that their insights and perspectives really levelled up afterwards

I've never tried it but I've heard from people that it's meant to help quite a lot with mental health. I've heard the same about running as well but I think it's a case of each to their own. People have diffferent coping mechanisms depending on their lifestyle.

I'm too preoccupied learning about the realization of self, to think about the realization of non-self right now.

In all seriousness though, nothing so structured as this. I identify more with a mix of Taoist and Judeo-Christian philosophy than Buddhist, thought I understand some of the basic tenants. My mind tends to race a mile a minute, and active study of philosophy and psychology hold my attention more than being passively still for 10 days.

That said, qigong, and taijiquan have been very useful for me, especially as I've gotten older and health problems have worsened. Experiencing, appreciating and absorbing the moment and nature around you are fairly meaningful parts of "Being" I would say. You could even go so far to say that experience IS the meaning of life.

I've done it when I was in college but it was more of a one sided study. I was quiet in a world full of talkers First few days were frustrating not to talk. By the third day, I realized that I usually worry too much about what I am going to say next so I never really just listened. I also realized that not too many people were bothered by my lack of contribution they just wanted to talk at someone. Unless someone wanted to discuss/debate a shared interest... they avoided me like the plague. When I was done I never tried to make up the bulk of a conversation, just sort of let people take it where they wanted and jumped in with a timely "that's what she said." at the right times.

Okay, that's a lie... you can't get me to shut up without bribing me.

I let my mind wander freely over coffee, which is I guess the despairing French existentialist's version of meditation.

As a scientist and a counsellor I feel qualified to respond...
Science adapts over time with the discovery of new evidence. Yes things in the past are considered wrong, but that is the nature of growth and learning. The same is true of psychology, as more evidence is presented, techniques change and adapt. The problem is people and culture changes, I am seeing more LGBT+ people now due to a more open, accepting and educated populous.
I dont believe any psychologist would say it's BS or they wouldn't do it. I have seen may people helped at all levels of psychological care. Your problem is as you said "you where forced" into it. You didn't have the right mindset to start with. It takes time and money and searching for the right counsellor and techniques for the client, many of who don't have the energy, time or money!
Your technique is seclusion and distraction and it works for you, but not everyone so I would hesitate to call it all BS and tell people what they should do.

Finally "theory" means an idea (hypothesis) BACKED UP BY REPEATABLE EVIDENCE which is fairly strong, so saying "just a theory" shows a lack of scientific understanding.

The problem with that is that humans are social creatures. Clearly, you are lower on the scale of extroversion than others. I'm fairly introvert, but I've had to spend the last year living completely alone, with almost no one around. It's made me crave human connection more than I could possibly imagine. I'm glad it works for you, but it won't for everyone.

I definitely agree that keeping yourself busy helps with depression though.

I'm getting a little into it, although more as a background way of keeping focused - so I might do 'mindful walking' or just sit and think for ten minutes in the quiet before heading to bed.

I was disappointed to read one commentator in the Guardian lamenting that 'young people' were apparently more interested in doing yoga and meditating that trying to engage with politics and change the world, as if we needed more political arguements or that persuading everybody to be calmer and more reflective wasn't actually an effective way to improve things.

Running definitely goes together with it. Your feel calmer, more focused and have greater self-worth which are the ideal conditions for meditation. I find it easier to dismiss stresses too.

Right!? Like how the hell are you going to fix the world if you don't know / have control over yourself?

Just be careful meditation is great for calming people and has health benifits but you should start off very slow. Meditating for long periods of time w not build up and no teacher can have dangerous effects on mental health because you can hallucinate and people have been known to go too deep into their thoughts and have caused them to have break downs. Don't recommend doing ten day retreats, start of very slow and build up over time.

That's a good point. I remember my Qi-gung teacher telling me something similar. Techniques like ki-breathing can be bad if you do them too much. It sort of reminds me of the Tibetan monks who will spend a night outside in the winter meditating. It's something that has to be built up to.

I've done tai chi and chi gong for 25 years now, and also been an enduring fan of Erchart Tolle's Power of Now books. I was led to these due to severe anxiety problems. It's been a long journey but these and a combination of other things have hugely changed my life.

Yeah, all these things can be a life long study and I've heard stories of tai chi people dashing ahead and hurting themselves by taking on elements that are far too advanced for them. Really important to find a good teacher and to be patient, taking it step by step. Also you can't really learn this stuff with books or Youtube.