“Are you talking to yourself?”

I can’t tell you how many times people have asked me, “Pres, are you talking to yourself?” And almost every single time the answer is no, I was actually speaking to everyone here but no one happened to be listening. I’ve gotten used to this by now and blame it on my timid voice and hesitance to speak up in conversations. However, as awkward as it may be, probably 1 out of 5 times, I actually have been talking to myself. And this, I blame solely on being an only child.

Many kids have imaginary friends growing up that they interact with and truly believe are real. Oddly enough, seeing as though I was an only child, I never had an imaginary friend. But what I did have was a vivid and wild imagination that created full on movie plots, and I was playing the leading role, as well as all of the supporting actors. During my days of Disney Channel obsession, I truly believed I was a Disney star. I guided my made up TV shows on the life of Hilary Duff’s hit show, Lizzie McGuire, in hopes that my self taught acting would one day land me on Disney Channel. I’m sure my parents wondered why their daughter was carrying on full out conversations with herself, speaking in multiple voices and accents, and singing and dancing to made up songs (at this point you’re probably judging me as a crazy person, so let me assure you that I’ve moved past this phase). They never stopped me though, probably so they wouldn’t squash my creativity, but also probably partly because it was thoroughly entertaining.

Long story short, I’ve never stopped “talking” to myself. I find myself asking questions that most people think in their heads, out loud every day. I’ll even answer the questions out loud. And often times, my friends are around to witness this, so this time when they ask if I’m talking to myself, I actually am. It’s become one of the quirks to my “awkward” only child personality and at this point, I have no shame. So if you’re reading this and thinking you might be a self talker too, I say be proud! It’s truly an art that takes talent and skill, but some people just don’t understand that and probably never will. And if you’re reading this thinking the whole talking to yourself is strange, don’t be too quick to judge the next encounter with a self talker. It turns it they might be an only child, or maybe even an aspiring Disney Channel star.

Side note: Talking to yourself is perfectly sand and actually can be beneficial to your health! If you’re interested in learning more about this, click here to read this article about four types of self-talk that can make you feel better about yourself.