“Chatter” is the title of an audiobook I recently listened to. It is subtitled, “The voice in our head, why it matters, and how to harness it.” It is written by Ethan Kross, a psychologist. This post will share some of what I learned from that book. If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed by an internal voice, I think you will find this book very practical and helpful.
The book begins with a compelling context for what lead to the author writing the book. I’m not sue about you, but I find it really helpful to know that a person is writing from personal experience, and not simply from intellectual review.
Here are specific recommendations I saw in the book:
- There is value in widening our perspective. He covers this in a chapter called, “Zooming Out.”
- Changing our wording to include our name can help create distance. He covers this in a chapter called, “When I become you.”
- There can be great value in talking things through with others, but there are cautions to be aware of here. He covers this in a chapter called, “The power and peril of other people.”
So practically speaking – I was left with this suggestion. When those voices in my mind feel overwhelming, I challenge myself to zoom out and refer to myself by name. As simple as it sounds, it is very helpful.