100% agree. I used to have podcasts or an audiobook on to listen to while I was doing 'boring' tasks but I found it was just causing my brain to work overtime and drained me of mental energy so quickly.

Now I just enjoy the sound of silence. Sometimes I may put on some music quietly to drown out another background noise but always something I know well so that my brain knows it and doesn't spend time or energy processing it for the 1000th time. I've found it can be any music providing I know it well enough.

I actually listen to fewer podcasts now because of it but I am much happier about that as I seriously began to worry about how my brain needed constant stimulation.

I was unable to just be still in silence.

I worry a lot of us are just overloading our brains with constant stimulation leading to faster burnout and mental health issues but that is a conversation for another day!