I Talk to Myself

Edmund Blackadder, (pictured left), when confronted by someone else that he was talking to himself, answered curtly: "Yes. It's the only way I can be sure of intelligent conversation".

Not all my conversations with myself are intelligent. Some are downright goofy. And sometimes, I can give myself an epiphany!

Sometimes, I'm giving an interview. Sometimes, I'm a TED speaker. Sometimes, I'm just voicing my thoughts out loud, in an attempt to straighten out whatever it is I'm thinking. Sometimes, those thoughts turn into music. Not always.

Sometimes, I talk to myself in the car. My kids have finally given up asking me who I'm talking to. They get it now, that Mama has stuff to say, and no one necessarily needs to listen. If I'm alone in the car, and I stop at a stoplight next to another car, someone has most likely seen me gabbing away in there, with no one to gab to. Thankfully, we live in an age of Bluetooth and hands-free and wi-fi, and I figure, they'll figure I'm talking to someone other than myself. Because let's face it, it is embarrassing.

But guess what! This will be great news for anyone who, like me, likes a tét-a-tét with oneself now and then. According to psychcentral.com, talking to yourself is a sign of - yup you guess it - sanity! Who knew?!

They even give examples of "four types of self-talk that will make you smarter and feel better about yourself:

1. Complimentary. Why wait to get compliments from another? If you deserve them, give them to yourself.
2. Motivational.You may not feel like doing boring or difficult tasks. But you can motivate yourself to get going with a much kinder voice.
3. Outer dialogue. Having trouble with making a decision? Should you stay or should you go? Speak up or stay silent? Choices aren’t easy. It’s much more effective, however, to create a dialogue with yourself so that you can hear what you think. Having such a dialogue can assist you in making a commendable compromise or a workable conciliation between your wants, your needs and others’ expectations.
4. Goal-setting. Let’s say you’re trying to be better organized. Setting a goal and making a plan can be a big help. Sure, you can just make a list, but saying it out loud focuses your attention, reinforces the message, controls your runaway emotions and screens out distractions.

And guess what else: there is actually a term for talking to yourself: 'intrapersonal communication'!

According to Wikipedia: "Intrapersonal communication can encompass:

• Day-dreaming
• Nocturnal dreaming, including and especially lucid dreaming
• Speaking aloud (talking to oneself), reading aloud, repeating what one hears; the additional activities of speaking and hearing (in the third case of hearing again) what one thinks, reads or hears may increase concentration and retention. This is considered normal, and the extent to which it occurs varies from person to person. The time when there should be concern is when talking to oneself occurs outside of socially acceptable situations.^[1]
• Internal monologue, the semi-constant internal monologue one has with oneself at a conscious or semi-conscious level.
• Writing (by hand, or with a word processor, etc.) one's thoughts or observations: the additional activities, on top of thinking, of writing and reading back may again increase self-understanding ("How do I know what I mean until I see what I say?") and concentration. It aids ordering one's thoughts; in addition it produces a record that can be used later again. Copying text to aid memorizing also falls in this category.
  • Writing need not be limited to words in a natural or even formal language. Doodling also falls into this category. Children may be communicating intrapersonally when they doodle and adults sometimes argue that they do...
• Making gestures while thinking: the additional activity, on top of thinking, of body motions, may again increase concentration, assist in problem solving, and assist memory.
  • Again, routinely observed in children, the equivalent of doodling without writing. Everyday images are transformed by gestures that form a new lens through which to view the images.
• Sense-making e.g. interpreting maps, texts, signs, and symbols
• Interpreting non-verbal communication e.g. gestures, eye contact
• Communication between body parts; e.g. "My stomach is telling me it's time for lunch."

So, even your body parts can talk to each other! Go figure.

The article leaves me with this reassuring thought:
"Whether you’re living by yourself or living with others, you’re always living with yourself. So don’t leave yourself out of the equation."

Right on. Now, if you need me, myself and I are outside, having a chat.