When life is fun and you’re laughing away, you’re probably not judging people or situations in a negative or harmful way, right? That’s because you haven’t allowed your mind chatter to occupy any time or space in your thoughts. But what about those days that don’t feel so fun and you’re frowning or crying at every little thing?
How do you handle your days or moments when you can’t seem to turn your negative mind chatter off? Maybe you rationalize that everyone has conversations going on in their heads. Certainly, you can’t be the only one on the planet? Personal consulting can help.
What is Mind Chatter Anyway?
Maybe you’re wondering what mind chatter is and how consultants and life coaches can help you turn off “the noise” or as some people refer to it, “the voice that doesn’t go away.” Mind chatter most frequently occurs in men and women who are anxious or are going through a depressed feeling as a result of some unpleasant life experience or a negative outlook.
Evidence of Mind Chatter
The easiest way to tell if you are experiencing mind chatter is you will catch yourself judging, predicting outcomes, and having irrational thoughts and dialogues with yourself that are not positive. In fact, mind chatter accuses, lies, twists the circumstances, and makes everything look dark and ugly, as if there’s no way out.
Dialogue in Your Head
Mind chatter takes many avenues of negative speech in your head, depending on your circumstances. It’s almost as if someone has a concealed video camera inside your head, and then once a statement is spoken, your mind responds by listening to the lies that your mind’s messages are trying to convince you are real. Here’s a shortlist, just so you get the idea:
- Going to the store today would be a waste of makeup and hair products; I think I’ll just stay home.
- I can’t go to that event tonight. I’ve gained too much weight, and I have nothing to wear that can conceal my huge belly.
- I don’t deserve to have fun tonight at that celebration party, so I’ll just go to a movie by myself in case anyone wonders why I’m not there.
- I don’t do well in crowds, and I know hundreds of people will be there tonight.
- I’m just not good enough or smart enough to hang with those people at the convention today.
The examples above reveal mind chatter—negative reasons why you can’t, won’t, or refuse to do something.
Three Quick Solutions for Getting Rid of Mind Chatter
Certainly it’s up to you and someone you consult with to help you transition into an everyday state of mind that doesn’t criticize and condemn everything, including yourself. But until you can get time to work with someone, here are three quick solutions that can help you overcome mind chatter.
1. Play your most favorite music, close your eyes, and then sing along or dance to the music.
2. Sit in a comfortable chair or lie down on your bed. Then close your eyes and breathe really deep, exhaling with force and concentrating on your breathing. Breathe in through your nose and breathe out through your mouth. Do this 10-15 times and think only about your breathing.
3. Verbally create a list of things that you’re grateful for today. Make your own rule that says you can’t repeat the same gratitude. See how many gratuities you can come up with during that one relaxation session.
When mind chatter begins eroding your positive train of thought, turn the moment around with one of the three solutions you’ve just learned; before you know it, you’ll feel better and your mind chatter will have been removed.