I was in the same boat. I subconsciously reached for ways to distract my mind whenever it didn't have something to occupy itself with.
- When I was doing the dishes, I would immediately put a podcast on
- When I was waiting for my kid's music lesson, I would immediately grab a book to read
- When I was eating, I would always turn the TV on
- When I was sitting on the couch, to supposedly rest, I would put a music record on and I would also reach for my mobile phone to "catch up" or text a friend
- When I lie to bed, I immediately would grab my phone to browse HN
I realized that these were harmful habits that I subconsciously formed as a way to distract my mind from other thoughts that were causing stress and anxiety.
These days I'm more mindful about this and I try to just sit there by myself and just be. Kinda like meditation.
After a couple of months I felt my brain is completely fried from that information overflow.
Now I don't even put my earbuds, unless I'm in a very noisy area and I need to focus on a work task.
I'd say what you describe is an active form of meditation. I do that now when swimming, walking, or simply having a coffee in the morning and looking at the ocean.
- When I was doing the dishes, I would immediately put a podcast on
- When I was waiting for my kid's music lesson, I would immediately grab a book to read
- When I was eating, I would always turn the TV on
- When I was sitting on the couch, to supposedly rest, I would put a music record on and I would also reach for my mobile phone to "catch up" or text a friend
- When I lie to bed, I immediately would grab my phone to browse HN
I realized that these were harmful habits that I subconsciously formed as a way to distract my mind from other thoughts that were causing stress and anxiety.
These days I'm more mindful about this and I try to just sit there by myself and just be. Kinda like meditation.