Can't stop talking to myself

[redman88]

Hi,

I have a problem, I can't stop talking to myself. It's got to the point where I'm having full blown conversations with myself. I'm like it 24/7 and find it difficult to stop the constant train of thoughts. I think the fact I'm obsessed with the way I look doesn't help matters . It's like I can't process normal thoughts like every other human being, instead I have to say it aloud in my head which leads me to start having a conversation in my mind to myself to the relater matter or thought. I feel like I'm losing my mind as I can barely concentrate on anything and the worst part of it is I'm in my final year of my degree. The problem started perhaps two years ago or before I even started university but wasn't bad to point I could not concentrate. However in the last year, it's become increasingly worse to the point now, where I'm constantly talking to myself in my head which leads to an inherrant feeling of anxiety and nervouness in which all my confidence has evaporated. To put it simply, I'm in a complete state as a result and don't know what to do or who to turn too. I have pondered over the idea I may be suffering from schizophrenia or depression, however I do not hear voices or suffer from hallucinations and do not consider myself paranoid in anyway. The voice is my own voice and acts almost as a constant narration which I'm aware of and know I'm doing.  

When I'm put under pressure or put on the spot, I'm able to think clearly as im forced to not talk to myself and concentrate. For example, recently, I had to give a presentation as part of my degree and once it came to the moment of deliverance the pressure caused me to block my inner thoughts. After the presentation I felt great and my mind was clear, however a couple of hours after it just went straight back to how it was. My work has suffered hugely as a result and I have a final year exam coming up in two months. I plan to see a doctor after I'm finished but wondered if there was any drugs anybody could reccommend to hault the thoughts and help me concentrate? I find myself able to concentrate more and feel more happy after filter coffee or coca cola as the buzz gives me a temporary lift. (starbucks!).


P.S sorry for the long message - Any help would be much appreciated.

Daniel

[Bell226]

I also do this, and I also hear voices but in total honesty I think there is nothing wrong with talking to yourself, it helps make better decisions going through scenarios in your head.

[Suze1965]

You are completely normal but a little anxiety in there. Self talk is inside everyone... its a safety mechanism. Google self talk and read all about it. Stop worrying. .your fine and normal. I self talk all day long. Im 51 with anxiety probs, stress probs and life long depression . I just learn to live with it now. Its a benefit not a hinderance... trust me.

[theecaptain]

Good sir, this exercise in mindful awareness of inner dialogue is very advanced, powerful, and very concise.  I thank you for it!

[authentic_soul]

What do you mean

[AlexBerlin]

Guys, what you are describing sounds a lot like a dissociative disorder, for example DDNOS (dissociative disorder not otherwise specified) or DID (dissociative identity disorder. Hearing voices in your head and being in dialogue with them is one of the most important criteria for the diagnosis. Good news: it does not sound like you are schizophrenic! If you were to hear voices outside your head, like somewhere in the room, that would be a an indicator for schizophrenia. Hearing voices/ dialogue inside your head is a an indicator for DDNOS or DID. Next piece of good news: DDNOS and DID can be treated. Given time and good treatment, you can recover from it 100 %. For starters, I recommend reading books on Structural Dissociation, such as The Haunted Self by van der Hart/ Nijenhuis/ Steele, Becoming Yourself by Alison Miller or Got Parts? by ATW.

[MBA_live]

Hey Adam

I was wondering if your problem has already stopped and if so what measures you took because I'm facing the same problem since about a week ago and I really can't afford going on like this.

I would highly appreciate and value your response.

[mindexplorer]

Hi Adam,
My name is Andy. I might be able to give some practical suggestions with your problem. I've had similar problem. I haven't managed to get a rid of it entirely yet, but at least I have a lot of control over it now.
It might sound surprising but I can see a lot of positive things "between the lines" of what you've written. You are not mad or insane: you are able to put the ideas together in logical fashion and you can clearly identify the problem and your own feelings related to this problem. I spent some time in prosecution office long time ago and had a chance to read couple of testimonies of people who were diagnosed with mental diseases: trust me, if you saw what I saw there you would feel better straight away.
But ad rem: your first job is to start doing simple baby steps exercises. This self talk which is obviously compulsive, surely has a form of sentences in your mother language. When this compulsive dialog comes I want you to grasp one of those sentences and decide to change it's form, by altering the vocabulary for instance (If the statement like: "I'm worried about tomorrow's exam" comes, I want you to change it for something like: "I am scared because I will be attending the exam next day"). You need to make a conscious effort to alter it, so it means the same, but wording and syntax is different.
The second thing to do is to try consciously to change the topic of your self talk. If you start talking about lets say cars, change it to talk about trees or good food or something.
The third thing you need to do is to sit in your room and again CONSCIOUSLY start describing what is in your room (using self talk). Say to yourself something like: I'm sitting on chair, in front of me there is a desk and so on.
Now, the extremely important thing is: when you do those exercises DON'T SAY THEM LOUD AND DON'T WRITE ANYTHING DOWN. You need to do them silently, within your mind. It is likely, that it will be hard for you at the beginning, but don't worry, it's perfectly normal.
If you practice them for some time you will begin to see the difference between your compulsive talk (which is actually by-product of sub-conscious mind) and the thoughts, that you CONSCIOUSLY try to produce according to your WILL.  It will give you the sense of control of your thoughts as well. Note, that when you wrote this post, you had that control, because you had some ideas in your mind that you wanted to share, and you were able to put them in sentences like you wanted to. So, in fact, you can control the stream of ideas going through your head, it's just a matter of motivation and effort rather than objective ability.
Last thing: why you need to do this in your head? Because everything starts there, always. If you say them out loud or write them down, you just repeat what's already done. When you practice quietly, then you have a chance to gain control straight at the source of your thoughts.
Now: those exercises alone are just the beginning. Human mind is way more complex and tricky for simple solutions. So let me know, when you go through them for some time and get familiar with the idea, so we can proceed a little further.
All the best to you.