“I think that’s what a quieter brain really is. not a life without noise, but a life where the noise doesn’t own you”
I too have often found myself yearning for peace of mind. Not complete silence, but just some tranquility. Day in day out, we go through the motions of daily life, and all the while, there’s a voice in our heads narrating every mundane activity. It’s a swirling concoction of critisisms, corrections, and commentaries, and for many, this mental swarm is just another day at the office.
The author explained that the quiet mind we desire is not about voiding the mind of everything, but simply learning that a thought does not have the need to be urgent. A quiet mind does not have less thoughts, but rather, a more centered, less urgent, and not constantly high-reactive. One of the most significant changes happens to be simplifying small decisions. By simply seeing the small tasks that need to be done for what they are, instead of giving them unnecessary mental stress, is all that is needed.
Feelings of stress can make it really hard to identify specific feelings as it can cause your emotions to cloud your mind. What you can do is try to determine exactly what it is you're feeling. This will give you greater awareness and prevent fusion of your feelings. The influence of social media leads to greater feelings of stress and clouded mental clarity. The main problem is that the fast-paced nature of social media overstimulates your brain. This is not the case when you engage with content that is slower and requires deeper thinking such as a book.
When you are able to relax and enjoy the slow and quiet environment, it is not an uncomfortable silence. This is a nice space that allows you to reflect instead of using other distractions to think about something. The fear of what other people will think can motivate you to plan everything you say and do and then rehearse the outcome. Breaking the habit of rehearsing everything gives you the chance to focus on the moment. This allows you to manage things as they arise instead of preemptively.
The last step to achieving a still mind is to become more aware of your body. When you are mentally restless, your body usually follows. It is possible to have a quiet mind without getting rid of thoughts, but rather without allowing thoughts to take control of you. When you gain this ability, you encounter a profound and more authentic stillness.

— Ayushi Thakkar, How to Have a Quieter Brain (Substack)
full article → https://open.substack.com/pub/ayushithakkar/p/how-to-have-a-quieter-brain