Talking to yourself, it’s good for you!

How we look after our mental health nowadays is getting more attention, we are told that talking to others is a great way to relieve some of the issues that have a damaging impact on our mental health. And it’s true, talking to friends, family or anyone that will listen really does help to alleviate any anxieties and stresses we may have.

Talking to ourselves, on the other hand, is viewed as a sign we may have lost the plot! But I think that it can have a very positive impact on our mental health the same way as talking to anyone else has.

Time for a little story…

I remember when I was a kid sitting in someone’s house (they shall remain nameless in this, but if you’re reading this, you know who you are 🙂 ) whilst they got ready to go grocery shopping.

Once I returned home I couldn’t wait to tell my Mum what a strange experience I had had. Whilst I had been sat waiting quietly on the sofa in the next room, this person was in the kitchen making their shopping list. What’s strange about that I hear you ask.

Well, whilst making their list I could hear them talking and it wasn’t me they were talking to! It wasn’t even your general talking out loud whilst writing your list down, they were having a full-on, one-way conversation. Turns out that they were talking to their kitchen cupboards, one at a time, to see what they contained, how much was left and what was missing. It was their process of grocery list writing.

Now, as I’ve grown up and I’m responsible for our grocery shopping I always remember that moment fondly. It kind of makes sense to have a conversation with yourself and some kind of roll call for items that should be in the cupboards.

The Benefits

Talking to yourself doesn’t just have benefits when writing the grocery list. I find myself able to better create my to-do lists by having a conversation with myself about all the things I need to remember to do. It helps to talk out all that’s clogging my head regarding things I need to get done. It jogs my memory. And there is no better person to have those conversations with than myself, after all I’m the only one that knows what I need to be remembering to do.

Try it for yourself

Next time you need to make a list for whatever reason, make yourself a cup of tea and try to have a conversation with yourself, ask yourself questions that will help you remember and recall the items you need from the shop, the tasks you need to do that day or the problems in your life that need to be solved.