I agree with you here. forming thoughts into words and sentences is not the only way of thinking. Keep practicing that unclenching, it’s worth it! I was introduced to “quieting” through Zen Buddhism and after years of practice (full, regular meditation wasn’t even necessary) I’ve switched over to “quiet” being the default state probably more than half the time. Using exterrnal memory aids has helped with this, life and work can get busy. I love sticky notes!