THE IMPACT OF SELF TALK

You mumble to yourself,

"Why did I set it so early?"

as your morning alert blares.

You consider, "I need a haircut... unless," as you are brushing your teeth.

Hurrying out the front door, you grab for your keys but find they are missing.

Frustrated, you yell, "I can't do anything right!" just in time to see your neighbor.

Being caught talking to yourself can be embarrassing, and some people even view this as evidence of mental illness.

Still, decades of psychological studies reveal that talking to yourself is really natural. In fact, most, if not all, of us do some kind of self-talk every single day.

Why then do we chat with ourselves? Is what we say really important?

Self-talk, also known as inner speech, is the narrative your brain tells.

It's not like mental images or factual recall. Psychologists specifically describe self-talk as spoken thoughts aimed at either you or some aspect of your life.

This covers private talks like

"I have to work on my free throw."

But it also includes thoughts you had all day, like

"The gym is crowded tonight." I'm back tomorrow.

And although most adults' self-talk is quiet, talking to yourself aloud also fits in this category. Psychologists really think our initial encounters with self-talk are essentially verbal, as youngsters typically talk to themselves aloud while they play.

Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky postulated in the 1930s that development really depends on this type of communication. Children learn self-management of their behavior and emotions by repeating talks they have had with adults. Then, as people get older, this outer self-talk often gets absorbed and transforms into a private inner conversation. We understand that this internal self-talk is crucial for planning, navigating challenging circumstances, and even daily motivation.

Studying self-talk can be challenging, though. It depends on research subjects precisely following a behavior that is natural and usually carried out without awareness. Scientists are therefore still trying to provide basic answers to queries such as,

Why do some people self-talk more than others?

During self-talk, which parts of the brain become active?

And how is this activation different from a typical conversation?

One thing we know for sure, though, is that your attitude and performance may really change depending on what you say in these talks.

Self-talk that is instructive or motivating has been found to improve focus, raise self-esteem, and enable one to manage daily responsibilities.

One study of collegiate tennis players, for instance, showed that adding instructive self-talk to practice improved their accuracy and focus.

Speaking directly to oneself could also help you control your emotions, just like talking to a buddy might help you decompress.

Distanced self-talk is the practice of speaking to yourself as though in dialogue with another person. So instead of "I'm going to crush this exam," you might consider "Caleb, you are ready for this test!"

According to one study, this style of self-talk was particularly helpful for lowering stress when performing anxiety-inducing activities, such as public speaking or meeting new people.

Negative self-talk can hurt you, though, even as positive self-talk might help you. Though most people are critical of themselves sometimes, this tendency can become poisonous if it becomes too regular or too negative.

In both adults and children, high degrees of negative self-talk have often been found to predict worry. And individuals who continually criticize themselves for their difficulties and dwell on such circumstances usually feel more deeply depressed.

Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, is an area of psychiatric treatment nowadays that emphasizes, in part, controlling the tone of self-talk. Often teaching techniques to recognize cycles of negative thoughts and replace them with neutral or more compassionate reflections, cognitive-behavioral therapists also With time, these instruments can help enhance mental wellness. Remember to be gentle the next time you find yourself conversing with yourself.

For many years to come, you will be consulting that inner voice as a partner. You mumble to yourself as your morning alert blares,

"Why did I set it so early?"

You consider, "I need a haircut... unless," as you are brushing your teeth. Hurrying out the front door, you grab for your keys but find they are missing. Frustrated, you yell, "I can't do anything right!" just in time to see your neighbor. Being caught talking to yourself can be embarrassing, and some people even view this as evidence of mental illness. Still, decades of psychological studies reveal that talking to yourself is really natural.

Actually, most, if not all, of us do every single day some kind of self-talk.

Why then do we chat with ourselves?

And is what we say really important?

Sometimes known as inner speech, self-talk is the narrative your head tells. It's not like mental images or factual recall. Psychologists specifically describe self-talk as spoken thoughts aimed at either you or some aspect of your life. This covers private talks like "I have to work on my free throw

." But it also includes thoughts you had all day, like

"The gym is crowded tonight." I'm back tomorrow.

And although most adults' self-talk is quiet, talking to yourself aloud also fits in this category. Psychologists really think our initial encounters with self-talk are essentially verbal, as youngsters typically talk to themselves aloud while they play. Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky postulated in the 1930s that development really depends on this type of communication.

Children learn self-management of their behavior and emotions by repeating talks they have had with adults. Then, as people get older, this outer self-talk often gets absorbed and transforms into a private inner conversation.

We understand that this internal self-talk is crucial for planning, navigating challenging circumstances, and even daily motivation. Studying self-talk can be challenging, though. It depends on research subjects precisely following a behavior that is natural and usually carried out without awareness.

Scientists are therefore still trying to provide basic answers to queries such as,

Why do some people self-talk more than others?

During self-talk, which parts of the brain become active?

And how is this activation different from a typical conversation?

One thing we know for sure, though, is that your attitude and performance may really change depending on what you say in these talks.

Self-talk that is instructive or motivating has been found to improve focus, raise self-esteem, and enable one to manage daily responsibilities. One study of collegiate tennis players, for instance, showed that adding instructive self-talk to practice improved their accuracy and focus.

Speaking directly to oneself could also help you control your emotions, just like talking to a buddy might help you decompress.

Distanced self-talk is the practice of speaking to yourself as though in dialogue with another person.

So instead of "I'm going to crush this exam," you might consider "Caleb, you are ready for this test!"

According to one study, this style of self-talk was particularly helpful for lowering stress when performing anxiety-inducing activities, such as public speaking or meeting new people. Negative self-talk can hurt you, though, even as positive self-talk might help you. Though most people are critical of themselves sometimes, this tendency can become poisonous if it becomes too regular or too negative.

In both adults and children, high degrees of negative self-talk have often been found to predict worry. And individuals who continually criticize themselves for their difficulties and dwell on such circumstances usually feel more deeply depressed.

Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, is an area of psychiatric treatment nowadays that emphasizes, in part, controlling the tone of self-talk. Often teaching techniques to recognize cycles of negative thoughts and replace them with neutral or more compassionate reflections, cognitive-behavioral therapists also With time, these instruments can help enhance mental wellness.

Remember to be gentle the next time you find yourself conversing with yourself. You will be speaking with that inner voice for many years to come.

Written by: AUSTIN RACHAEL