I found these replies interesting. There were things mentioned that I can identify with. One aspect was 'incorporating an element of interest' in to the ride. The ride then becomes a day out. Taking a packed lunch, stopping at interesting places, looking forward to the cafe stop, taking photos, talking things through to ourselves, preferring to ride alone. Thank you for sharing this.
I like to incorporate little things too. I've planted a few Rowan saplings about one mile from home. The ground area is quite dry and sandy, and I take a few bottles of water in the bag to ensure they survive until established. Another thing I do is taking bread for a pair of swans on the canal. As soon as I prop the bike up and go to the edge , they come to the edge too.
I often find myself working through things as I cycle along. I ask the questions and am often able to provide answers in the solitude of the ride. I sometimes pray too. I'm not much of a singer but there is one thing I sometimes do. You may want to try this as described below. You can do variants of this.
I like to see if I can use a different part of the brain at the same time as cycling (preferably off road !) So for example, starting from 300 I count backwards by 4. So 300, 296, 292 and so on until you reach zero. It sounds easy, but have a go. Observe what happens when you need to negotiate something in front of you. Entering an underpass, coming to a junction, people walking towards you, uneven road surface like pot holes. Observe what happens to the backward counting as the brain prioritises.