I've then realized that with that flexed state a kind of mental flex follows. I got used to this kind of stressed-out context switching that put my brain in a racing thought state. Noticing when this happens and consciously stopping and then actively releasing the bodily pressure has been an important step in regaining control of my brain. I've realized that I kind of conditioned myself to this kind of dopamine seeking that persisted regardless of the medium I'd consume. I'm >30 and therefore skipped the TikTok phase, but even as I got rid of the Instagram habit (it helps that the algorithm is really poor at predicting content I'd want to watch) I would find myself doing the same kind of short bursts of short-term attention and immediate switch even with text-based media such as Reddit or Wikipedia.

Try to capture your mental state when you are in this "mindless consumption" mode and learn to identify it. Develop a habit to notice when this happens and then stop and ask yourself what are you chasing, after all. Try to pause at the content you're currently reading and read it till the end once you calm down.

It also helps to find books that keep your brain active while being engaging to you. I've had a lifelong passion for linguistics and I found myself digging into language philosophy, for example. This is the kind of literature that keeps me engaged, but forces me to slow down as well to think and properly process what I've read. Your mileage may vary; we are different people and definitely you have different interests than me.

While I'm not a fantasy fan, I'd be a little wary of picking up fantasy books. My observations tell that the most successful ones read like action movies or first-person video games, and fast-paced action is something you want to steer away from for the purpose of this exercise. Pick up something that challenges you a bit, but is still comprehensible with the context you have right now.

In my home country people have the diminutives encoded and they know to switch when we are in an informal context. Full names are rarely used in speech if one's name has a diminutive - if you don't know someone it's more likely that you will only use Mr/Mrs + their last name, otherwise you address them with a diminutive. A curious intermediate form of address is found in superiors at work and people who met as older adults - Mr/Mrs + first name, which then can be a diminutive or not depending on personal preference.