Do you have an Inner Monologue

[awesmum]

My DD who is 19 asked me the other day if I have an inner monologue. Apparently some people don't. Just curious how many people do or don't? If you don't what do you have instead?

Mines so loud I am surprised others can't hear it sometimes.

yes

Yes.

Ues5

*yes even

It does talk to me if I'm actively thinking or worried about something but my mind is quiet most of the time. I live in the moment and just absorb what's going on around me.

DD OTOH describes her mind as a hive of activity with voices constantly arguing with each other. "Don't eat that, It's not good for you" vs "I want to eat that". She describes it as exhausting. She has quite a few anxieties so presumably she's fighting inner battles.

I might have the "shouldn't eat that" moment but it's fleeting and hedonism wins easily. I also think my views are reasonable and therefore am content with most of my decisions/actions. I forgive myself if I make mistakes so there is no inner voice berating me. None of us are perfect. I don't expect myself to be.

Yes, my head plays out conversations with other people before I go to meet them. It's really weird and I feel like a complete nutjob!

Yes, very much so. I also have a very creative mind, a strong imagination and vast intellectual breadth. It’s not always a good thing, IMO, and at times I suffer quite badly with anxiety.

It never shuts up - or only rarely. I make up stories as I go along, I argue with myself about issues that bug or intrigue me, I remind myself of things, comment on my surroundings.

Wrigleys I do exactly that too. The conversations never seem to go they way I imagine though.

Thank god it's not just me

Unsurprisingly I also suffer badly with insomnia. It’s very rare that I sleep well - I had literally had one night in all of last year where I went to sleep, stayed asleep and woke up in the morning.

Yes. I wish it would shut up at bedtime!

I assumed this was normal. I can't remember what/how I thought in my 20's 30's but these days if I am not concentrating on paid work, then it is a constant stream of what would I do/say to this or that person. I suppose it is some sort of survival/coping process.

There's been another thread on this very recently - last couple of days. A mix of answers on there, and not massive consensus on what actually constitutes one either.

Yep i and i wish it would should shut the f*ck up at bedtime! Yappity sod

Yes, and after a year of living in Germany I was speaking German in my head. Which is weird, because my German was never that great.

Yes and this is why I have to have earphones in all night playing tv shows

I'm the same as GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman, plus have the 'practice conversation' as mentioned above.

I find it difficult to listen to podcasts or audiobooks because my internal monologue talks over them. It's a real lesson in mindfulness for me to properly listen.

Yes and I wish I took on board my own suggestions sometimes. Especially think before you say that outloud.

I wonder if men have it too or not so much? I often say to my OH that I can't sleep as my thoughts just won't stop but he doesn't seem to have the same problem

Mine also doesn’t shut up. Glad it’s not just me as I was beginning to think I was slightly nuts.

What does your inner voice sound like? I don’t think mine actually sounds like me- more like what id like to sound like

Yes although it's very much me, rather than talking at me if that makes sense. It's exhausting. Goes along with anxiety I think. The handful of times in my life it has quietened have been periods of unusually ease/peace. Even then it's rare as I'd be running through some random future anticipated conversation

Yes, but mine is usually saying things like 'shut up, you crashing bore' when I am nodding and smiling at a colleague.

We were talking about this in work recently. Apparently there are two separate ways if thinking, monologue/full sentences or just concepts with no actual stream of words.

I have no monologue and think in concepts and images more.