I was recently encouraged to try meditation

Hilarious...that's me every night. "I said stop thinking of old shit, brain!"

Meditation isn't about having no thoughts at all. That's the Western interpretation of an Eastern art. Meditation is more like sitting with your thoughts and letting them come and go, but not judging them for what they are. Sometimes meditation leads to a trance-like state where brain activity reduces significantly and is experienced as a "quiet" mind; I think that is maybe where the confusion originates.