All World
Gayatri Pariwar

Self - talk is Good for Health

Many a time people are found bantering and talking to themselves, or conversing with plants or their pet animals. If a child is found talking to his toys, dolls or pet animals, it is considered as a childlike act, but if an adult behaves like this, people begin to suspect the state of his mental health. Many research studies, however, regard the act of talking to oneself or to plants and animals as a way to good health.

This is because through these means many inner sufferings and distresses can find a way to get expressed, which provides a lot of relief. Such acts also help in getting rid of several mental ailments. According to a research study published in ‘Journal of Experimental Psychology’, people who indulge in self-talk show a remarkable improvement in their capability to think, understand, reply and converse with others. If a person does not have anyone nearby to talk to, he should not feel worried and should begin to talk to himself.

Talking to oneself is not a mental disease but a very normal phenomenon. This is an ailment only when what a person speaks is irrelevant, meaningless, or not pertinent to any person or incident. If in self-talk there is relevance, motivation, and positivity, it is very beneficial and it leads to a boost in self-confidence and self-motivation.

If the self-talk is filled with ‘I can do it’ emotion, it improves a person’s efficiency at work and reduces negativity in behavior. Psychologists believe that people who keep talking to themselves mentally or orally are found to maintain sound health. Talking to ourselves is very useful in attaining better self-control, and it also helps in organizing the activities of the brain and keeping it healthy. Immaturity in thinking gets cured with self-talk. Thoughts also get better organized and flow steadily. Self-talk enhances memory as well. When a person gets into intense conversation with his own self and intently tries to find solutions to his problems, he gradually develops creativity and begins to solve his problems in multitudinous ways.

When this selfconversation is done by means of diary-writing it becomes even more powerful, because when these writings are read again and again, the problems faced earlier can be reanalyzed more solemnly and it becomes easier to carry out self-analysis. One issue with diary, of course, is that we constantly fear that if it ends up with someone else, he would read and know about our thoughts and emotions. So, whenever we write anything in a diary that we would not like others to know, such pages of the diary should be torn off later and destroyed.

People who like to converse with plants and trees, who share their thinking with them, who express their love to them and take care of them, feel relieved of stress in their company and experience a new freshness and vigor. Ayurveda, in fact, prescribes a therapy in which it is suggested to spend some hours in the company of plants. When a person talks to plants, not only is the growth of the plants faster, a very positive effect is also cast upon the person’s health.The world is very competitive today, we cannot easily trust anyone. People fear sharing their thoughts and sentiments with others. In this situation it is good to share thoughts with plants and trees. Some people hug trees as well. This is known as ‘Ventilation Therapy’, through which people express their inner feelings with ease. Those who fear speaking in public or giving any form of live demonstration, can enhance their skill of interacting with others by talking in front of plants and trees.

Many people like to keep pets. They take care of them, feed them, take them for a walk, pet them and train them. They keep talking to them most of the time. These animals begin to comprehend this conversation slowly; and, they even begin to behave as desired. According to a research study conducted at Chicago University, when a person talks to his pets, he develops a bonding with them. Such a person despite living alone at home does not get affected by loneliness.

So, talking to self or conversing with pet animals, birds, plants and trees has many advantages. This increases sensitivity towards others, adeptness in dealing with others, workefficiency and wisdom; and at the same time, this provides relief from stress and promotes happiness levels.