A typical person “self-talks” at the rate of 4000 words per minute. If we were to express it with our voice, it will take 1 hour. That’s how much information that is being processed as our “inner voice”.
No matter what the situation is, our mind has something to tell us — something that helps us, warns us, protects us, finds us new opportunities. This message is the inner voice.
People generally identify inner voice as the critic or negative self-talk. Yes, it’s true that we hear self-criticism very loud — especially some of us. That does not mean that’s the only aspect of our inner voice.
There are other aspects of our inner voice as well which we can learn to hear, such as
- the self-reinforcing voice — voice that reflects on positive memories and statements
- the self-managing voice — voice that regulates emotions and identifies ways to progress in any situation
- the social assessing voice — a voice that focuses on our interaction with others.
Curious, how’s your inner voice sounding right now? Check it out here.
Research says that when it comes to our happiness, our inner experiences trump outside experiences. This means that even if you got that long-awaited job or had the best time of your life, you can still be sad and unhappy. The critical force behind this perceived unhappiness is our inner voice.
Focusing on making our inner voice helpful and constructive no matter what the situation is — is a critical strength that can set us apart.
By having a connection with our inner voice, we have a connection with our intelligence, our identity, and more importantly — ourselves.
References -
- The Self talk tool
- Self-talk for anxiety relief and focus on Google Play and Apple Store
- Chatter — The voice in our head and how to harness it
- How emotions are made by Lisa Feldman Barrett
