The playlist you put on to avoid thinking is still telling you something about what you’re avoiding.

You do not reach for sad songs or loud ones at random. The music you use to drown out a thought is picked by the same part of you that is having the thought, which means your avoidance has a direction and leaves a trace. It is a surprisingly honest signal, and it is available any time you look at what you queued up.

Check what you have played most this week and ask what it was keeping at a distance. You do not have to stop listening to it. Just let yourself name the thing once, maybe in a note on your phone, before you press play again.