I need some help

[olddots]

I'll make this short ....I talk to myself more and more and have been caught by my daughters and wife ,this disturbs them because they bought the crap about people that talk to themselves are crazy ..........I'll stop the message here because I just typed a few pages of dreck that helped ..... I use this place as a journal as most of us do --a journal that talks back sometimes in it's cyber space way cutting thru the machine to humanness .

The thinking out loud or talking to myself is troublesome but it beats having a complete melt down .

[snappyturtle]

1. So? You verbalize what I feel probably many of us do silently. I "talk" to

myself a lot....I live alone and the cat doesn't speak...yet! Anyway, maybe your talking out loud to yourself bothers others but....maybe they will need to just accept it as a quirk. imho

[sadarthefirst]

2. I do the same

My brother I also talk to myself, sometimes the only smart on in the room, other times I work things out aloud. My neighbors have heard me and commented. So do'nt feel bad. sometimes a voice in the wilderness.

WELCOME

[Downwinder]

3. I do that sometimes to make sure I can still talk

and to check if I can still hear.

[postatomic]

4. Have your family members commented on this?

And does it really bother them? I understand the desire to appear 'normal' to everyone. Especially to those that are closest to you. I really wish I could offer words that would help but I don't know what you are going through. If you are hurting and talking to yourself helps I don't see how that's a bad thing at all.

But, I'm not a mental health expert. I only have my own experiences to draw from and we're all different. We all hurt in different ways.

If ya' ever want to chat by PM then please do and if you need a real human voice I can give you my personal cell phone number. Remember, there is always someone you can talk to.

[Still Blue in PDX]

5. Most of the people I know, especially people at work, do talk to themselves.

Sometimes it's silent, sometimes it's aloud, and sometimes it is while they are ostensibly talking to someone else.

You would be astounded (or maybe you wouldn't be) at how often I answer the phone at work to someone who has a question but then works out the answer for themselves simply by framing their question to me. They think it's magick, but it's just them working through something.

I hope you can convince your daughters and wife that it is only a problem if they make it one.

[Politicub]

7. I was going to write the same thing about people at work

We were just talking about that today, actually.

I noticed that I talk to myself the most when I'm working on a spreadsheet or with numbers in general.

[Denninmi]

6. A lot of people talk to themselves out loud, means nothing about mental health.

Sounds like more of a "first world" problem for your family, than a real problem for you.

There are little behavioral training things you can do, basically just remind yourself, when you catch yourself doing it, to do it internally.

I think many people who were "loners" by choice or circumstance do this as a way to hear sounds of a voice. I know that I talk to my dog constantly, which of course, being a dog, he picks up on some of and does respond.

[Politicub]

8. My husband was concerned about talking to himself

And talked to his psych about it.

In short, he learned that it's something that's part of being human and nothing to worry about.

Writing down your thoughts - online, on paper, anywhere - is powerful stuff, isn't it? It's one of the most important and effective things I took from therapy.

[libodem]

9. I think outloud sometimes

I talk myself through stuff. I'm sure it's normal.

Of course it is, libodem.

[olddots]

10. I imagine my wife and daughters talk to themselves

but I've never heard them because I'm talking so loudly to myself . they have said to me " who were you talking to ? and it embarrasses me so I give them some bad answer like " you must be hearing things " .

[fizzgig]

11. the problem is when you start answering yourself

i talk to myself all the time, i don't see it as a big deal.

[2theleft]

12. My boyfriend carries on complete conversations with himself

He is very confused politically, so while he is reading the paper/watching the news/etc., he basically argues both sides of the situation to himself to get to where he knows what his opinion is. I tell him he has Muliple Political Party Disorder. He does this outloud. If you are not used to it, you could suspect he is crazy because he is arguing both sides.

He will also carry on narratives for the dogs as he does he daily chores (he's borderline OCD, so everyday is laundry, ironing, vaccuuming, etc.). I'm sure the pups are only interested in the announcement of the vaccuum since that is when they run into whatever room he is not in.

Not to hijack your thread, but is it wrong that I'm happy he's borderline OCD? My house has never been cleaner and ALL of my clothes are ironed, including pajamas.

[olddots]

13. I believe everyone is compulsive and obsesses about things

and if they don't cop to it they are really full of shit.

[jeffrey_pdx]

14. I talk to myself all the time

Its how I think sometimes, but mostly its expressing frustration. I say it to myself so I don't say it to other people. I get it off my chest without the consequences. Though, sometimes I am overheard Oh well.