This habit could prove beneficial and serve us in our life.
No, you’re not crazy! There’s nothing strange about talking to yourself. On the contrary, this habit could even prove beneficial and serve us in different aspects of our lives. This can particularly help to clarify your thoughtsto concentrate, to regulate one’s emotions, to fight against stress, to make decisions or to encourage yourself. Most often, we talk to ourselves simply to comment on our environment and what we are doing there. “In this case, it’s just a reflex, like a little tic, it’s not intended to provide a response, it’s more of a habit that we have.” informs Johanna Rozenblum, clinical psychologist. It’s also a way to fight against loneliness since with yourself, you can talk to yourself without a filter. Talking alone can also be a sign that you are feeling good about yourself!
To regulate your emotions
Talking to yourself is an excellent way to express your emotions and therefore regulate them. Whether it’s expressing your pain when you bump into yourself, complaining when you’re angry or subject to stress, talking alone allows you to clear your head and chase away negative thoughts. Talking to yourself can also be a way to encourage yourself in times of doubt. “It’s much more motivating to hear yourself say out loud “you’ll make it,” “I believe in you,” “trust yourself,” rather than just thinking it.”, indicates the specialist. This boosts self-confidence. Provided of course that you remain positive when speaking to yourself! If the internal dialogue is always negative, that it only serves to devalue oneself, it is appropriate to rectify the situation to be more positive.
To think better?
Speaking out loud to yourself is beneficial for learning. This helps you clarify your thoughts and remember things more easily. This is particularly useful when you want to remember tasks that you have to accomplish or when you have something to learn (presentation, speech, lesson) before a stressful meeting for example. Before any action requiring concentration and vigilance, speaking to yourself allows you to concentrate. “Talking to yourself is a way of thinking out loud and therefore of hearing yourself think, which sometimes allows you to ruminate less, to go around in circles less and to have more productive thinking. It also helps with decision-making since speaking out loud allows us to observe the facts with more perspective.” explains the clinical psychologist.
As long as what you say to yourself is positive and constructive, there is no need to worry. However, talking to yourself can sometimes turn out to be pathological : this is what we call soliloquy. “In this psychiatric pathology, the subject speaks to himself out loud in a rather aggressive and vehement manner, or to a voice that he hears in the context of auditory hallucinations. If this occurs frequently, it is recommended to consult your doctor and/or a psychiatrist. concludes our interlocutor.
Thanks to Johanna Rozenblum, clinical psychologist