Making things with your hands slows your brain down enough to have a real thought.

Some thinking only happens at the speed of hands. Sanding, kneading, soldering and sewing occupy just enough of your attention to stop the circling, and in that quieter state the thought you have been avoiding tends to surface fully formed. It is less that the task is calming and more that it is paced. You cannot rush a glue joint, and that is the gift.

Give yourself an hour of something physical this week with no podcast and no music. Let the thinking happen rather than steering it. Keep paper nearby for whatever shows up near the end.