Talking to Yourself…

Do you ever talk to yourself?  I’m not referring to the mumbling all of us have in our heads.  I’m referring to audible, out loud talking.

Sometimes, I have regular oral conversations with our dog and cat. I’m imagining what they might be thinking and then I speak it. For our dog Sidney, it’s usually a low alto, barking sound. For our cat, Lilly, I’ll tell her that she needs to eat all her food or Sidney will eat her leftovers.

Lilly acknowledges me with morning meows, whereas Sidney will give me low repetitive growls. If I need to walk to the other end of the house to get something, I will repeat the item over and over out loud, so I remember what I’m getting.

I was a bit curious about my own behavior, so I looked up some of the research on it.

Many people talk out loud to themselves—which is commonly called external self-talk or private speech. Experts report about the upside to conversing with yourself is a way to resolve or understand “situations that are novel or highly stressful, or where you’re not sure what to do or think or feel,” Studies have found that when you’re anxious you’re much more likely to talk to yourself.

Well, I’m not so sure that explanation fits my behavior. Talking to myself is a strategy for remembering things. So, how about you on this Thankful Thursday? Do you have any tricks for remembering things?  Do you talk aloud? Why?  We want to learn from each other so post on this thread. Thanks, Lynn