Constant internal dialogue - is this normal?

[Sadilicious]

I have had the day off today, and spent the day clearing the garden, tidying up etc, and realised that as I was working away, I was rehearsing over and over again a conversation/argument I may have with a friend of mine. It went on for hours. So much so that I ended up having to put on audio book to drown it out.

If I don't have anything to go over in my head, I invent other worrying scenarios and start overthinking them too. To the outside world I appear quite cheerful and sociable, but inside I just go over and over interactions ad nauseam.

Is this normal? How do I stop?

I do tbis, but after some CBT I learned how to quieten it when the thoughts are intrusive or won’t go. I’m not always successful, but it is much better than it was.

Nope, I don't have this.

I also can't see anything when I close my eyes.

Happens to me all the time! It’s exhausting.

Same lol, I always thought it was just me 😂 all these imaginary scenarios drive me nuts 😂

My brain never shuts up. It's exhausting.

I'm sure DS and I watched a film where everyone could hear each others thoughts so they had to learn not to have them. Something like that anyway. I think Tom Holland was in it.

I have this but have never found it to be a negative thing, it's just me constantly chattering away to myself.

I love my own company and can happily go for days (weeks even when DH is working abroad) without seeing anyone (by choice), and I'm perfectly content - I sometimes wonder if it's because I'm so busy chatting to myself that I never feel lonely!

I can't imagine having a period of no thoughts while being awake. I don't dream much - or at least rarely remember my dreams - but if I'm awake I'm thinking.

There's the main thought track (annoyingly this sometimes runs as a parallel verbal and non-verbal runthrough of the same thing, but the non-verbal one is considerably faster so I have to periodically loop it while the other version catches up), a conversation (past, future or entirely imaginary) running under that if the primary thought isn't a dialogue (and especially if it's a largely visual thing like a room or garden plan), footnotes to the main track and/or conversation, smaller thoughts about whatever I'm actually doing, brief noticings and commentary about physical sensations or other things going on around me, and quite often an earworm as well.

They aren't unduly negative, though, and I can usually change the subject if I want. Not so good at changing the tune on the earworm - those can stick for days.

I sometimes wonder if it's because I'm so busy chatting to myself that I never feel lonely!

It would be interesting to investigate whether there's a correlation with introversion or extraversion.

I'm entirely happy with my own company for days or weeks at a time, but occasionally if I've had to spend time with an info-dump talker I need to then do my own info dump onto somebody else because my head is too full.

Great, I’m normal! I save nice scenarios for when I’m walking the dogs.

It's normal.but you can work on silencing it. I practise deep breathing and tell myself there's nothing I can do about this right now... sometimes writing a note about my worry to action later helps... like emptying my brain look around you. Appreciate everything around you let it distract you from your racing thoughts

I do this, but less and less these days because it’s horrible and really bad for us. This is what I have found stops it for me. Take a deep breath in through your nose, right to your belly, hold for as long as possible, then breathe out steadily. Repeat this 3 times and it resets the brain.

Then I meditate for 5 minutes. Just try to focus on my natural breath. If I have a thought, notice it and then get back to focusing on my breathing.

Hope it helps!!

I've never experienced it but it's very common.

I have just found this on Audible (free) and it’s really interesting- thanks! I think it’s really going to help.

it’s horrible and really bad for us

Intrusive and negative rumination, yes. But general brain chatter isn't horrible at all, and I see no reason why it should be bad for you if it's not actually interfering with your mood/sleep/ability to do things.

@OP I play the piano a bit, but just for fun really. I love music but more into words, I'm actually a content writer :)