Talking to yourself = normal?

[Bowyn Aerrow]

I most likely would talk to myself, however the voices in my head are just to loud for me to talk over them. :o

I talk to things - I actually talk to things more than I talk to people.

I used to hide my talking to things - especially the inanimate out of fear of being called crazy and embarrassment.

I am no longer embarrassed, nor do I worry that people will think me mad (We are all mad here you see). So I talk to cans on the store shelves (No, you won't do, you are dented), talk to the gas pump, etc. you know stuff. Even when people are around.

I do run through conversations with people before I have those conversations - sometimes I may do this outloud when I am alone to get an idea of the emotion behind my words. Especially when it comes to conversations that may be emotionally charged and I don't want to give off the wrong emotions to what I mean.

I also do this when I am writing a story - this allows me to capture an idea of the emotion of the character, plus things like the tilt of the head, the characters posture.

I think to a point we all talk to ourselves. Maybe not out loud, but we do have internal dialogue running, we do rehearse speeches/conversations) we do note current events and lots of other things inside in a 'voice' format.

For me, the speaking out-loud thing helps me to focus on one level of thought. I am constantly aware of three levels of thinking going on all the time.

Currently I am thinking about what I am writing here on one level, on another level I am puzzling out a minor construction project I have planned for next week and even on a deeper level I have a song I am singing to myself.

This sort of three layer contrasting thinking prevents me from always being able to focus on one thing sufficiently. If I start talking out loud I can drown out those other layers of thought a bit, thus focus more attention on what is most important to me.

I think everyone has that to one extent or another.

[Rainbowmum]

I have done it and will continue to do it. :biggrin:

[jaxc]

I talk to myself... a lot. I just came home from getting caught doing so at the grocery store wandering around the aisles, always a tad embarrassing. And when I say I talk to myself, I don't mean things like,

"I wonder what I should do today. The bookstore is closed so maybe I'll talk a walk to the park. Puppies sure are cute. What's that song called, the one that goes 'And I would walk a thousand la la la and I would walk la la la la....' oh well, whatever."

I mean I have full blown conversations with people. They're not necessarily imaginary people either. They're people I know, or knew: my father, my old boss, people I knew back in high school. I talk to them like they're there and respond to what they say in my head. If I hear a joke I would like to share with an old friend, I tell him. I argue with my dad or boss (and often lose).

I don't have difficulty understanding that I'm just talking to shadows, but sometimes I get so into it (usually while cleaning, or just pacing around the house) that I get lost in it, and it's not until the phone rings that I'm snapped out my head. Sometimes, when I see someone in real life that I talk to in my head a lot, I'll forget what conversations we've actually had or that I made up.I've been told by others (in real life) they hear me talking to myself quite often, which is slightly unnerving because I've always thought I'm very good at hiding it.

Does anyone else do this? Is this really weird? I'm not really worried about it or anything, I'm just curious.

Thanks for reading.

i know this is off topic, but DAMMIT!!! now you got that song stuck in my head:biggrin:

[dfiant]

The old saying 'Talking to yourself is quiet normal...it's only when you start to answer yourself that you may have a problem'

[pellaz]

my parents noticed i was talking to myself and bought me a dog. At minim i talk to dogs now.

[Dean]

i don't think it is of great concern. i sometimes talk to myself too.

if u are really concerned, consult school psychologist or find similar problems online.(search)

[Sceak]

To some degree it's normal, to some degree it's healthy though I have to advise against talking to people you are active with.

Dead people it's cool but people who are present in your real life you shouldn't do that simply because you might start to split realities. The name of the disorder escapes me but essentially you have to be careful not to have a life and then another life that is imaginary with people you know in your head.

It's common, whether you call it prayer or whether you call it fantasy... old ladies do it and teenage boys do it. In your case, however, it's obvious that you're understimulated socially.

Perhaps roommates?