The Benefits of Self-Talk

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Do you talk to yourself? If you don’t, maybe you should start. Turns out, talking to yourself is not that crazy after all. Various articles have concluded that self-talk has immense mental health benefits. When you talk to yourself, you are paying attention to the person that matters the most: you. Talking to yourself is an excellent practice of mindfulness and self-compassion.

It gets better. Talking to yourself is shown to give you a cognitive boost. That’s right; you become smarter by talking to yourself. A published research study in The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology found that people who self-talk while completing tasks can learn and adapt quicker.

Remember when you were a child, and you talked to yourself while doing homework or reading a book? In our early years, we used self-talk to learn new skills. Children learn better through self-talk. However, we lose this habit as adults because we fear self-talk will make us look crazy to others.

Self-talk is an excellent way of processing emotions and understanding situations clearly. There are so many benefits of self-talk. Talking to yourself can help you recognize when you are behaving irrationally. Overall, do not fear the power of self-talk.

Here are a few things self-talk can do for you:

1. Organize thoughts. In the chaos of life, we often have a million thoughts running through our heads at once. Our thoughts get jumbled in our mind and often can become overwhelming if left unchecked. Try talking through your thoughts aloud. You will notice that it helps you realize what thoughts are irrational. By talking out our thoughts, we can organize them in our mind better and make sense of the world around us.
2. Achieve goalsWith any goal, consistency is key. Saying your goals aloud is useful because, according to psychologist Linda Sapadin, talking aloud “focuses your attention, reinforces the message, controls your runaway emotions and screens out distractions.” When it comes to making lists, talking through your obligations helps you prioritize them, and it even helps make those goals more attainable.

3. Relieves StressTalking to yourself is an excellent stress reliever. Life can be overwhelming and managing your racing mind is essential to reducing stress. Talking to yourself allows you to recognize the problems in your life that are stressing you out the most. Self-talk is a useful tool for reducing anxiety. Self-talk allows you to relax and tackle your fears with courage and confidence.

4. Increases Confidence.Self-talk can help increase your confidence on a day to day basis. When you are feeling down and insecure, talk to yourself aloud. Give yourself a compliment or motivate yourself to push forward. We all could use a pep talk now and then. Self-talk allows you to be your motivator.
5. Reduces Anger.Ever get so irritated and frustrated that you want to act irrationally? Self-talk is perfect for situations like these because it helps to blow off steam. You can talk to yourself about how and why someone is bothering you. You can understand your emotions better by talking to yourself. Sometimes we think one way but feel another. Having a conversation with yourself can help you understand your underlying feelings.

See? Self-talk isn’t that crazy after all. In recovery, it is important you talk yourself through the everyday stresses of life. You know yourself better than anyone else. What are you waiting for? If you or someone you love is struggling with substance abuse or addiction, please call toll-free 1-800-951-6135.

Author: Shernide Delva