How to Quiet the Voice in Your Head

How to Quiet the Voice in Your Head
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Nancy Colier
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Do you have a little voice inside your head that’s constantly running a play-by-play of your life? Does it unceasingly package your life, verbally preparing your experience for transmission to another unidentified listener?
I just went on an eight-day silent retreat, and apparently, my inner narrator didn’t get the memo that it was time to be silent. For the first five days, the voice didn’t stop talking, not even to catch its imaginary breath. With obsessive precision, it explained to me what I was doing, how I had transformed, and what spiritual lessons I had learned. Over and over, my inner narrator repeated my experience to me, prepared it for sharing, and made sure I had everything mentally wrapped up.

It’s an odd thing: As we’re having an experience, the voice in our head is simultaneously describing, explaining, and commentating on it. Usually, it even provides a summary of the event and what came before, during, and after its unfolding.

Nancy Colier
Nancy Colier
Nancy Colier is a psychotherapist, interfaith minister, thought leader, public speaker, and the author of "Can't Stop Thinking: How to Let Go of Anxiety and Free Yourself from Obsessive Rumination,” “The Power of Off,” and the recently released “The Emotionally Exhausted Woman: Why You’re Depleted and How to Get What You Need” (November, 2022.)
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