Do you talk to yourself? Out loud, record, or just in your head? I hope I’m not the only one. In fact sometimes I actually wonder if I said something out loud.
Although I’m a list maker I drive alone a lot when I can’t be writing things down. (Hey, I’m a street photographer and busy taking photos while driving.) But being solo gives me time to think. I use a little recorder that’s easy to operate and supposedly plugs into my computer but I haven’t figured that last part out. So I transcribe. What the heck I used to be a secretary. It can take a while, depending on how long the drive, yet often gives me an almost complete blog post. Like this one.
I live alone and often go days without talking to other people. Yet maybe because I’m a babble mouth I still talk. Especially when something goes either terribly wrong or incredibly right. If I drop something I may swear followed by a hardy laugh at myself. Sometimes I mutter while looking for something.
And when I’m writing I read aloud to hear if this makes any sense. Does it? Wonder if that’s like the tree falling in the forest thing?
Thinking out loud helps me clarify. Just hearing myself puts ideas in perspective.
Feeling down? Turn it around. Get rid of the negatives. That’s something I work on all the time.
How about a pep talk while looking in the mirror? I may not get a compliment from anyone else but myself. Puts a smile on my face and I feel ready to face the world. Say it out loud. I am beautiful!
Sometimes I talk aloud while hiking alone for safety purposes depending on what kind of animals may be around. Or whistle, sing (no wants to hear that) or hum. Yet I prefer to be extremely quiet in nature and listen to the world around me.
I’m not crazy. People may think talking to yourself is a sign of insanity. Although it can be a symptom of schizophrenia. Of course in today’s techno world it sometimes seems like a lot of folks talk to themselves until you see the ear bud. If I’m with people I want to talk with them, not my phone.
Did you know this? Talking to yourself is also known as “intrapersonal communication”. Internal monologue. Research indicates it’s a healthy thing to do unless you’re talking negative. Could be a concern if you tell yourself a joke and then laugh aloud.
Hey if there’s nobody else to talk to why not me, I’m intelligent.
So do you talk to yourself? Do you call yourself by name?
Yes, I do talk to myself! Even at home when my husband is here. Just mundane stuff. It embarrassing tho when I’m shopping alone.
In this day and age of ear buds I think it’s more common to appear people are talking to themselves in public. Does your husband answer you? 😉
Hi Gaelyn,
I do talk to myself, usually when I’m cooking and wanting to stay focused. It helps me organize and not loose track of where I am in some process.
I too have a digital voice recorder. Sony, but an older one. Couldn’t do without it, especially on my walks. That’s my most creative time and I can’t stop to write things down, so I leave notes on my recorder. Or when I’m driving and hear something on the radio, NPR, and want to look it up later. I call it my external memory. For the creative times, I can capture the non linear more creative process. It seems that if I ‘try’ to ‘remember’ something later, it just doesn’t flow as smoothly.
When I was in Australia and spent time photographing bird, I would also record their calls. It’s been fantastic to revisit those recordings later.
Thanks for the post. Especially love your first photo!
Don’t know what I’d do without my “external memory” other than forget a lot of things. It’s sort of like when I take notes and then don’t have to look at them again to remember.
I used my camera video in South Africa, sitting in my tent at night, to record the animal sounds. Very nice to listen to later.
Thanks. Had some fun with that first photo although it took me a while to put the two photos together and it came out ghosty.
Yes, I talk to myself all the time, but I usually say things like, “That was a STUPID thing to do!” I find myself talking to myself a LOT more these days! 🙂
Cheryl Ann, try not to talk negatively to yourself, unless you can make a joke of it. Or maybe switch it up and tell yourself how you’d do something not stupidly the next time.
Not out loud! But I have a running conversation going on in my head almost all the time. So is an Internal monologue also talking to yourself?
Doesn’t have to be out loud to be internal monologue. I do that all the time.
I do talk to myself on occasion, and call myself by name. Sometimes my talking is to scold myself, but other times it’s just to say a good idea out loud.
I see you’re experimenting in double-exposures again!
That shot was actually two in a row then used HDR to put together. Forgot about double exposures.
GREAT question – –
Have to head to work (I just told myself that) Will get back to you later – –
B
Get to work. I have to tell myself too. 😉
Oh yeah, I talk to myself all the time. Sometimes I literally forget that I didn’t say may thoughts to another person because I have this internal thing going, especially when I hear something interesting, that I am working it out in my head, and forget to say anything.
Back when I was single I wouldn’t talk to anybody for days sometimes if I was on a trip. And then I would find some poor unfortunate victim somewhere and download on them.
Sometimes I’m not sure if I’m talking out loud or not.
After several days of silence I do that to someone too.
Sure! I talk to myself just about all the time! I’ve found myself talking to myself while reading a book…..trying to solve the big mystery! I talk to myself when attempting something new on the computer. Why would I want to have an empty head?
Right on! No empty head.
Yes I talk to myself on occasion & sometimes it’s the best conversation I have all day:))
Don’t let Kelly hear you say that. 😉
Mostly, I just have an inner dialogue with myself, but sometimes if I do something really stupid I roll my eyes and verbalize aloud. When I hike alone on trails where I know there might be bears, I talk aloud in bursts to let them know my whereabouts. Also, when you’ve been married as long as Bob and I, sometimes talking to the spouse is like talking aloud to yourself. You’re the only one listening!
I know about that last one after 15 years of marriage.
The topic struck a chord with me. Yes, I do talk to myself frequently as I go about trying to make a new life, and I talk to my deceased wife of 48 1/2 yrs who passed away about 11 months ago as a result of Alzheimer’s decease. And I sometimes briefly wonder what other people might think of my behavior, and then I say to myself “I don’t give a damn” — everybody grieves in their own way. Bob in Orting (formerly of Prescott Valley, AZ — not far from where you call home in Yarnell).
I think talking to your wife is a good thing, especially if it helps with your grieving. And you’re right, who cares what others think.
Yes sirree I talk to myself and call myself by name and call myself names when I do stupid things. David and I are constantly saying “I can’t hear you” to each other only to have the reply be “I wasn’t talking to you, I was talking to myself”. Sign of too much togetherness? Love Barb’s comment and Al’s! Love the yous in the chairs! Well done!
Seems most of us talk to ourselves one way or another.
You mean People don’t talk to themselves? LOL I talk to myself all the time. I was over at my moms house, cleaning her bathroom, and she comes in from the kitchen and she says who you talking to in here? I have question & answer sessions, but best of all are the compliments you give yourself on a job well done! BTW… I Love your identical twin!
What, your Mom doesn’t talk to herself. I like the question and answer sessions. Thanks that shot was a total experiment that kind of worked.
Great topic 🙂 I have talked with myself for years. A lot of pep talks and planning sessions. Both of me have solved many problems! My dog is with me all the time now so I find I’m talking to her instead 🙂
I always talked to my dog and he was a very good listener. Pep talks are very good.
Yes, I talk to myself–not that I always listen. Yes, I call myself by name, also by a few descriptive terms. BTW, loved the photos of that car show in Yarnell. Must have been a fun day!
I try not to be too hard on myself but am known to call myself names. The cars were awesome.
Hi G,
I talk to myself when I’m creating something. Helps move the thought process into my fingers.
Found a cool new “journal” free app. For my i-phone. There are many but this is a simple one I can dictate into while hiking or working. Then it goes into my computer and I can print it out with out transcribing it. Cool!
S
I’ve always found the creative process to work better when I talk to myself, especially if there are a lot of steps to be taken.
I’ve heard of apps for my Droid also but really like the little recorder. Just need to figure out how to make it talk to my computer now.
I’ve heard that talking to yourself isn’t a problem unless you answer. I have an inner dialogue going on pretty much all of the time (that almost never has anything to do with what I’m actually doing at the moment.) I think most women are as good at multi-thinking as they are at multi-tasking.
I do talk out loud to the computer, does that count as talking to myself? (it doesn’t answer … or not usually anyway).
And yeah, I do give myself a pep talk in front of the mirror and while I’m putting on my walking shoes and while I’m walking …. every day!!!
Mine are often two-sided conversations and about as multi-tasking as I like to get. I’ll bet all of us talk to the computer, not always nicely, and don’t always get the answer we want. 😉 This talking to ourselves, it’s a good thing.
I do on occasion say something out loud, normally a cuss word but have not got to talking to myself yet. 🙂 I guess I prefer the silence.
I do love silence. But you know me, babbling away. 😉