How to find silence in a mind full of thoughts?

Ciao, come stai?

In a world that constantly demands speed, performance, and connection, it's no surprise that burnout has become almost a default state of being. Overthinking creeps in like background noise we forget how to turn off. It keeps looping – what if, what nexts, and what did I do wrongs – until the mind becomes a crowded room with no exit sign.

We are so used to being "switched on" all the time – always reachable, always scrolling, always planning the next thing – that silence becomes unfamiliar, and stillness feels like laziness. But the truth is, stillness is a form of rebellion. It's how we take our power back.

This post isn’t a magic formula. It’s just a gentle list – a reminder – of small things that help me feel a little more human again. Maybe some of them will help you too. 

Being Alone, Not Lonely

There’s a quiet kind of healing that only happens when we’re alone – and not the "I'm sad and isolated" kind of alone, but the intentional kind. Time spent with yourself is like pressing pause on the world. You get to remember what you like without outside noise shaping your preferences.

For me, early morning walks or runs feel sacred. When the world is quiet, so am I. There's no one to perform for, no one to impress. Even when I feel too lazy to get up and move, physical activity has always helped me release the storm inside – whether it's anger, confusion, or just a weight I can’t name.

Burnout often tricks us into thinking we’re just tired. But sometimes, we’re soul-tired, and movement helps reconnect the mind to the body again. We stop being just brains with schedules and start being living beings again.

Movement as Healing

Dance is one of the purest forms of joy I know. Not because I’m trained or perfect at it – but because it lets me feel alive in my own skin.

Belly dance, salsa, bachata – each with their own rhythm, their own story – help me shift energy without having to talk. Some days I don’t want to explain what I’m feeling. I just want to feel it and let it move through me. Dance gives me that space.

It's not about looking graceful. It's about reclaiming softness and sensuality in a world that wants us to be hard and efficient all the time.

Music, Reading, Learning

There are days when music is the only language I speak. I use playlists like medicine – sometimes I match the mood, sometimes I try to shift it.

Reading takes me out of my head and into a world that isn't mine. And learning new things gives my brain a task – not as a distraction, but as redirection. When I give myself a crazy new goal (even if it’s something random like “learn the Cyrillic alphabet” or “memorize all capital cities”), my mind has something to focus on besides spiraling.

Sometimes, the best thing you can do for your mental health is to give your brain a little adventure. A harmless obsession. A silly mission. A tiny purpose.

Living Without Performing

One of the hardest things to unlearn is this: you don't have to earn rest.

You don’t have to justify joy. You don’t have to constantly produce in order to be worthy.

And maybe the most healing thing I've realized is that my emotions and mood shouldn’t depend on anyone else.

Not in a cold or distant way – but in a grounded, self-respecting way.

When we stop outsourcing our happiness, we stop being emotionally dependent. We start being emotionally sovereign.

Alone time teaches me that.

That I'm not broken for wanting space.

That peace is not found in more noise, but in tuning out of the unnecessary.

That self-respect often begins with self-listening.

In the End…

Burnout doesn’t always announce itself. Sometimes it just feels like losing color slowly. And overthinking doesn’t come with a warning – it just builds, quietly, until you can’t hear anything else.

But the cure isn’t always grand or dramatic. Often, it's in the little rituals we give ourselves permission to enjoy.

So take that walk.

Write that weird idea.

Dance in your room like no one’s watching.

Talk to yourself like you would to someone you love.

Learn to enjoy being with yourself, without needing others to define your joy.

You are your own home.

Make it a soft one.

Nena

"All of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone."

-Blaise Pascal