The Graduate

Do you find yourself having discussion with your inner dialogue? That is called talking to yourself. We do it all the time. Well, I can’t speak for you, but I know it’s an occurrence in my every day life. These discussion are sometimes needed for analyzing a situation, which the brain is good at doing (for most of us). The problem arises when we can’t get the little voice in our head to stop talking.

Scenario
Sometimes, I’m just walking down the NYC side walk, minding my business, and I can’t stop thinking about what I’m going to do when I get home. Like, I can’t do any of those things while I’m walking on the side walk. And I’ve already written them down, so I don’t need to remember it. I just keep playing it over and over and over in my heading thinking about the potential problems and what “could” happen “if” I do this. It always turns out that those “if” and “could happen” situations never occur and only exist within my inner dialogue.

Unfortunately this is “normal” for the most of us. Some people call it their little hater. I call it my ego. I have couple of these voices. There’s rey the interaction designer, rey the MS in HCI graduate, rey the rapper, rey the boyfriend, rey the brother, uncle, son etc. Each one telling me how I should act and what I should and shouldn’t tolerate. It kinda makes me wonder, “Who is rey to begin with?” Am I any one of my egos? a combination of all? or am I, simply, I am?

Solution
Those are pretty philosophical questions that we can discuss forever, but for now I want to focus on the voices in your head. It turns out that it (they) can be stopped! And it’s easier than you think. Just breathe. Yup that’s right, breathe. If you focus on the in and out flow of your breath your inner dialogue will quiet down to a low mumble and maybe even stop! Imagine that, no voices. Some people call this practice, “meditation.” But when anyone says “meditation” people think of The Buddha sitting Indian style on pillows chanting mantras. Meditation is a word with too much baggage, I just call it focused breathing. You can do it anywhere anytime.

Try it and let me know if it works for you…

Oh, before I forget, please comment. I'd like to know your thoughts.

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