Mastering your inner voice: a guide to transforming your thought life
Hello, dear friends! I’m Jyme, your Certified Life Coach. As part of my mental health blog series, I want to explore a topic that, while invisible, holds immense power over our lives. It influences every decision you make and can lead to our own undoing if we let it run rampant.
So, what wields this incredible power? It’s your inner voice, the constant narrator in your life that infiltrates every aspect of your existence.
If you’re anything like me, you’ve likely allowed your inner narrator to dictate your life for the majority of your existence. It wasn’t until I immersed myself in Michael Singer’s book, ‘The Untethered Soul,’ that I had a stunning revelation. I realized that the world isn’t making me sick; I’m making myself sick. This voice in my head tints every event and constructs my entire reality.
I was astounded to acknowledge how much I’ve been sleepwalking through life, feeling powerless to influence the depth and quality of my existence.
Today, I want to flush out a few key components to our consciousness/self-awareness and explore how we can reclaim our inner narrative and replace our ‘roommate’ with a more awakened, vibrant, and supportive voice.
Unmasking the inner narrator
Our inner narrator is a constant presence in our lives, shaping our thoughts, emotions, and decisions.
Although it may take on unique characteristics from person to person, it’s a ubiquitous feature, occupying most of our waking hours as we contemplate and reflect on our personal experiences.
Ethan Kross, a professor and scientist at the University of Michigan, has explored the origins of self-control, revealing that our internal monologues commence as early as 18 months (or even sooner). Drawing on instructions from caregivers, we transform external directives like “put your toys away” into self-verbalized commands. These instructions play a pivotal role in exercising self-control.
As time unfolds, this inner voice undergoes a metamorphosis, emerging as a powerful tool for problem-solving, thought organization, and comprehension of our surroundings. Whether expressed through language, imagery, sensation, or abstract concepts, our internal dialogue is an intrinsic aspect of the human experience.
Understanding the significance and influence it wields over our lives is paramount for maintaining equilibrium and fostering optimal mental health.
The unbridled inner experience
Ever catch yourself in those moments when your inner chatterbox runs wild, leaving you drained and overwhelmed? Forbes drops a truth bomb—70% of our daily thoughts tend to be negative. Why? Our minds love shortcuts, but if your inner dialogue is a constant downer, guess what your filter approves more of? Yep, more negativity.
Mel Robbins, in her best selling book the High Five Habit, likens negative thoughts to mental lint—accumulate too much, and you’re stuck with an inner soundtrack of self-doubt. Been there, done that. Childhood baggage and self-doubt turned my internal narrative into a toxic mess. But I hit the brakes, kicked out the negative driver, and took control.
Flipping the script on my life meant respecting the power of the inner voice. I recognized the need to clear out the mental debris and let a positive and loving inner voice take the wheel.
To get there, I had to dive into the roots of my negative self-talk. Childhood experiences, societal pressures, and personal insecurities had planted these toxic seeds in my mind.
Acknowledging this was my first step towards transformation. I embraced self-awareness like a guiding light, allowing it to illuminate the dark corners of my psyche.
Changing the script
Understanding the power of our inner voice is more than just listening; it’s about actively reshaping it—a bit like rewiring your mental habits. I kicked off my journey by challenging negative thoughts, questioning their validity, and swapping them out with positive affirmations. As the Mayo Clinic wisely puts it, positive thinking isn’t about burying your head in the sand; it’s facing unpleasantness with a positive and productive mindset—expecting the best, not the worst.
This self-discovery ride was a continuous dig. I took on past traumas and limiting beliefs, breaking them down step by step. It was like giving my inner story a makeover, turning self-criticism into a chorus of self-compassion. And guess what? The more I practiced this, the better I felt overall.
Taking charge of my inner chatter wasn’t a one-time deal; it became a steady commitment. I surrounded myself with positivity—through books, podcasts, and hanging out with people who uplifted me.
Feeding my mind constructive thoughts became a habit, and you know what happened? My positive inner voice got louder and stronger. It’s not about drowning out the negative; it’s about cranking up the volume on the positive until it’s the main tune in your mental playlist.
The bottomline, according to Jyme,
Your inner voice isn’t a fixed entity; it’s moldable, adaptable. It’s the captain of your mental ship, and steering it towards positivity requires intentional effort.
Embrace self-awareness, challenge the negativity, and actively cultivate a mindset that uplifts and empowers you. Trust me; it’s a journey worth taking.
For more insights and tools to navigate life’s twists and turns, visit my website methodforliving.com and check out my blog for weekly updates!
Stay curious, stay resilient, and keep moving forward!
