SELF-TALK
Driving alone can be the ultimate therapy session
It might change your life forever
Introduction
If you’re anything like me, there are lots of things for which you have questions. I now realize that talking to myself while driving not only helps me, but it’s also the ultimate therapy session.
Crazy, right?
Not crazy to me. And if you do the same thing, it’s probably not crazy to you either. Les Brown, the great motivational speaker, says that we sometimes have to talk to ourselves. “It might be the most intelligent conversation you ever have,” he said. I couldn’t agree more.
What will it do for you?
Driving alone provides peace and allows me to achieve clarity on many different ideas and situations. I encourage you to try it out if you don’t already because the benefits can be extraordinary. I can figure out problems, develop new ideas, make old ideas better and discover ways to advise people.
It also provides a non-judgmental environment for positive self-talk. In a world filled with endless streams of negativity, that will always be a victory. I think of that drive time as a form of meditation, without the silence. Consider using that time in the same way that you’d use sticky notes. To do that, you will need a way to capture your ideas.
I use the voice memo feature on my iPhone, but any recording app will do.
Research backs it up
You don’t necessarily have to record everything you say, but when a key idea, insight, or phrase catches your attention, hit the record button. To be safe, wait until a red light or get a hands-free device so that your distractions are low. Earlier today, I came up with a kick-ass method for generating 100 article ideas in an hour. What you’re reading right now is a part of that.
Talking to yourself has long held a negative connotation. Scientists at Bangor University have provided a rebuttal to those outdated perceptions, even suggesting that:
“talking to yourself out loud is not [only] helpful but may indicate a higher level of intelligence.” (CITATION)
Psychologist Dr. Paloma Mari-Beffa co-authored a study on the topic and had a thought-provoking perspective.
Final thoughts
I don’t have a fancy degree, and I’ve never worked in a professional capacity in the psychology field. But I know that using your alone driving time as a therapy session will upgrade your thinking, maybe even your life. There’s no good reason not to try, and you have nothing to lose.
And nobody will be around to judge you!
