"Can't concentrate."
Mira held her head. Studying for exams, but only distracting thoughts emerge.
Sora called out. "What kind of thoughts come up?"
"Yesterday's failures, tomorrow's anxieties, irrelevant memories... just noisy."
Leo showed interest. "Intrusive thoughts."
"Intrusive thoughts?"
"Unwanted thoughts that emerge unintentionally. Everyone has them," Leo explained.
Sora took out her notebook. "Like mental noise."
"How can I eliminate them?" Mira asked desperately.
Leo shook his head. "Can't completely eliminate. But there are coping methods."
"Tell me."
Sora said, "First, don't try to suppress intrusive thoughts."
"Why not?"
"'Don't think about a white bear,' and you think about white bears more. This is called the ironic rebound effect."
Mira experimented. "True. Trying not to think makes it worse..."
Leo supplemented. "Attempting suppression strengthens the thought."
"Then what should I do?"
Sora proposed. "Observe the thought. Just notice 'Oh, I'm remembering yesterday's failure.'"
"That's all?"
"That's mindfulness," Leo explained. "Observing thoughts without judging."
Mira tried. "'I'm thinking tomorrow is worrying'... is this right?"
"Perfect," Sora acknowledged.
"But the anxiety doesn't disappear."
"Doesn't need to," Leo said. "Acknowledge the anxiety exists. That's the first step."
Sora drew a picture on the whiteboard. "Imagine thoughts as a river flow."
"A river?"
"Thoughts flow like water. Don't resist or push away the flow."
Mira began to understand. "Don't catch or wash away. Just let flow."
"Yes. Just let them flow."
Leo added. "But if specific thoughts repeatedly emerge, they might have meaning."
"Meaning?"
"The mind is trying to tell you something. 'This is important.'"
Sora gave an example. "If anxiety about tomorrow's exam repeatedly emerges, it might signal 'preparation is insufficient.'"
"So I address that thought," Mira realized. "Like study more."
"Correct," Leo acknowledged. "Treat intrusive thoughts as information."
"But what about irrelevant memories?"
Sora answered. "Are they really irrelevant?"
Mira thought. "Earlier, I remembered elementary school sports day."
"What relation to the exam?"
"A memory of failing and feeling embarrassed."
Leo analyzed. "Exam anxiety might have pulled out past failure memories."
"They're connected."
Sora explained. "The brain works by association. Current emotions recall similar emotions from the past."
"So everything has meaning?"
"Not everything, but many do," Leo admitted.
Mira sighed. "Mental noise is too complex."
Sora encouraged. "But understanding it reduces fear."
"How?"
Leo proposed. "Train metacognition. Thinking that observes your thoughts."
"Thinking that observes thinking?"
"Yes. Being aware of 'What am I thinking now?'"
Sora encouraged practice. "Mira, what are you thinking now?"
Mira introspected. "Thinking 'I want to eliminate mental noise.'"
"You noticed that. That's metacognition."
Leo continued. "Higher metacognition makes you less controlled by thoughts."
"Like thought and self separate?"
"Accurate," Sora acknowledged. "'There's anxious thought' and 'I am anxious' are different."
Mira closed her eyes. "Trying now. Thoughts emerge and disappear."
"Just watch them," Leo encouraged.
Silence continued for a while.
Mira opened her eyes. "Got a bit quieter."
"Didn't completely disappear?" Sora confirmed.
"Won't disappear. But not noisy."
"That's enough," Leo said. "No need to make mental noise zero."
Sora added. "Coexist with noise. That's the realistic goal."
Mira returned to studying. "Sometimes thoughts wander. But I notice and return."
"That repetition," Leo acknowledged. "Perfect concentration is an illusion."
Sora smiled. "The mind generates noise. That's proof of living."
Mira wrote in her notebook. "Don't make noise an enemy. Treat as information."
"Good summary," Leo acknowledged.
The three quietly continued studying. Mental noise doesn't disappear. But that's okay. Rather than seeking silence, understanding noise. That might be how to deal with the mind.
"Thank you," Mira said quietly.
Mental noise still sounds. But no longer scary.