Recently there was a run of articles and blog posts about how talking to yourself can be a good thing. Here is one for your perusal.
I’m surprised that this is news for anyone. I often talk to myself as a concentration aid. I found out long ago that it is easier to keep a thought in my head if it is busy dancing on my tongue. So when I’m figuring out a particularly knotty problem, or when I’m running short on time and need to make use of every minute, I talk to myself about what I’m doing. It works wonders.
But there is a second reason why you might hear me talk to myself, and that one IS crazy. I talk to myself when an evil thought is nagging me. I do this because the thought that is given voice sometimes has the power to silence the thoughts that are trapped inside. Or perhaps it’s just louder. Either way, it usually works to some degree.
I am most often plagued by this kind of thing after talking to other people, or writing something public, because I mentally review it all in my head (not on purpose—it just happens). I always find things that I did or said that might have been wrong, and then I’m angry or feel like a fool, and I want to curl up in a ball and cry. I talk to myself to shut up those insidious thoughts. I’ve heard other people do the same thing (I know, because crazy recognizes crazy). So I at least I am not alone.
Now, if you hear me talking to myself, and you ask me why, I’m going to tell you that I’m concentrating, even if I’m not. If you’re not crazy, then maybe you’ll accept my explanation and think that I’m smart. And if you are crazy, then you’ll know exactly what I’m up to. And I’ll know you know, and you’ll know I know you know. And so forth. It’ll be our little crazy secret.