6 Benefits of Talking to Yourself

Have you ever had a full conversation with yourself, out loud? Maybe you’re in your car alone or puttering around the house trying to figure something out. Then you catch yourself and maybe recoil from the thought that you might be losing your mind. Next thing you know you’re talking to yourself again. Turns out that you may not be as crazy as you think.

According to a host of professional studies and opinions, what is referred to as “external self-talk” seems to have some surprising health advantages on your brain function and behavior. Plus, nowadays, it’s easier to talk out loud without others looking at you sideways as most think you’re on your phone, like when you’re jabbering to yourself in your car at a red light.

These 6 benefits of talking to yourself show how you may be doing a good thing by talking the talk while you’re walking the walk (of life that is).

Less Lonely, Better Mood

You may feel lonely now and again, we all do, and talking to yourself could help. There are several points why external self-talk is an acceptable, healthy way to feel less lonely.

• Safety – Talking to yourself while alone may make you feel safe. It fills the space around you with a familiar tone, yours, and if you work through fears or concerns you could convince yourself that everything is fine.
• Positive affirmations – In addition to feeling safe when you are alone if you self-talk positive words it might also lift your mood. A good mood often means spurts in your brain of feel good hormones like serotonin, dopamine and endorphins. These natural mood enhancers just may make you feel less lonely and happier.

Find those Lost Keys

Working through complex problems with self-talk could get you to an answer a lot quicker. If you shut down all external distractions like music, television, etc., and verbalize something like where you last used your keys, chances are you’ll find them in your coat pocket.

According to Reader’s Digest,

“a study by researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Pennsylvania found that talking to yourself helps you find items quicker. They learned that when people uttered the very word they were looking for while they were in the midst of searching for it, their ability to locate it faster increased compared to those who didn’t repeat the particular word. There’s a reason you may walk around the house saying, “phone, where are you, phone?” as you search every room for the missing device—it works.”

Motivational Pep Talk

Sometimes the best boost is your own boost and talking to yourself is just the ingredient. Hearing affirmations from yourself to yourself can be powerful, especially when they are conveyed in the “second person” such as,

• You can do it
• Stand tall
• You can practice compassion and kindness
• It doesn’t matter what people think of you
• You are great at what I do
• Concentrate and focus

The New York Times reported on studies of motivational self talk (MST) and internal self talk (IST). Although IST showed significant results on speed and accuracy, it was reported that, “talking to yourself out loud in an instructional way can speed up cognitive abilities in relation to problem-solving and task performance.”

Embed with Clarity

As a child, on many occasions, you most likely talked to yourself. Then, the constraints of mainstream life may have gotten in your way telling you that, at a certain point, one way or another, it is too childish to talk out loud.

Now, scientists believe that self-talk helps you solidify important thoughts you need to “lock-in” to get you to a better place.

Stylist reports that,

“Many psychologists believe that talking out loud helps validate important and difficult decisions as we can clarify our thoughts. According to child psychologists, the more we talk to ourselves as children (imaginary friends count too) the more we are likely to continue it into adulthood, helping us be focused on tasks, and to be organized and self-controlled.”

Inner Enlightenment

Having a conversation with yourself could bring enlightenment to an otherwise deeply denied or even unknown problem embedded in your brain. This is what some practitioners, like renowned UK psychotherapist Nadina Al-Jarrah, believe.

According to Al-Jarrah,

“Notice when you speak negatively to yourself,…The way we think about ourselves has an enormous effect on our neurology and our neurology affects our physiology.”

The reduced physiological effects by working out problems through external self-talk might include:

• Less stress
• Gastrointestinal relief
• Minimized anxiety
• Reduced stress headaches

Talking out loud about deep feelings can instantly clue you in to how you feel. This is essential, as people often edit themselves when talking about their feelings with friends, family or even a therapist. External self-talk helps you listen to your true inner monologue and if it is full of negativity or low self-worth then it is time to make a change.

So, go ahead, walk around your empty home letting your voice be heard; get real with yourself in your car; or put on a pair of headphones without the music playing and talk out loud to your heart’s content. Looks like these 6 benefits of talking to yourself now give you license to enjoy the best company ever…you.