Listen Better to The Voice in Your Head

 How is that key relationship going for you: the relationship with the voice in your head? How often do you fight with that voice, or sneer at it, or walk away from it discouraged? If you were to describe a relationship with another person the way you describe your feelings about the voice in your head, how would that sound?

There is no divorcing the voice in your head; you cannot silence it and you cannot make it respect your boundaries. This is the relationship that you can negotiate but not ditch.

Here are three things to consider the next time the voice in your head does not seem like a good friend:

  • The voice in the head is always on your side. It's not always tactful or friendly or upbeat, but it is on your side. You made it.
  • You can meet the complaints and criticisms and fears with compassion. We are all in palliative care: we are all scared of running out of time or health or hope. If you were visiting someone who sounded like the voice in your head, you could dig in and find compassion even when you couldn't like what you were hearing.
  • You don't have to believe everything you hear, even when you hear it inside your head. Instead of being caught between belief and rejection, try saying, "that's one way to see this." Or maybe, "that's how it feels right now."
You are not a computer and your programming is not full of bugs and errors. You are a complex interplay of mind and brain and body and your ties to other people. The voice in your head has a lot to track and limited time to get your attention and direct it to something you need. It might seem impatient or rushed or mean or it might seem overly bright and positive. Either way, you can take a deep breath and say back, "Maybe."

You are never just the voice in your head. You have choices.



If you need help with those choices, visit me at www.nlpcanada.com for #freeNLP resources and events. 

You might also want to explore these ways to think about the voice in your head and the way you listen to it::

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