What Type of Chatty Cathy Lives in Your Head?

I have a Chatty Cathy living inside my head - that's how I refer to the constant internal mind chatter that goes on there.

She never seems to stop, and often, in the past, I have totally ignored her. I just let her run loose in the background, not paying much conscious attention to her ramblings. It wasn't till I became more mindful of our conversations that I recognized that this was an effective form of subliminal programming - only I was doing it to myself. Basically, I was allowing her to program my subconscious mind without censorship. Now, if she was only saying nice things about me, that wouldn't be so bad - but my Chatty Cathy seems to be somewhat neurotic, a bit of a worry-wart, and an out-and-out nay-sayer - so you can just imagine what my subconscious mind has been programmed with for years.

Today, I am more aware of her chatterings. In fact, I have found that being mindful of our internal mind chatter is one of the greatest tools we have for creating the life we truly want for ourselves.

So, what does it mean to be mindful of our internal mind chatter?

I think we all know what "internal mind chatter" refers to - it's that voice in our heads that is constantly commenting on our lives. It sometimes comes across as a repeat of things our parents drilled into us; other times it's commentary on something we just did or said.

For example, have you ever just stammered a hello to someone you really liked and then walked away scolding yourself with, "What was I thinking? He must think I'm an absolute idiot. He doesn't even know I exist." and on and on. That's Chatty Cathy.

Actually, her intentions are good. She worries about me and doesn't want me to get hurt emotionally. However, in the past, her way of protecting me was to discourage me from putting my best foot forward. If I didn't expect too much out of life, or too much from myself, I would stay safe. But it's a complex web we weave. Instead, over time, Chatty Cathy had a negative impact on my self-esteem.

Today, by paying attention to my internal conversations, or, in other words, being mindful of what she is saying, I have developed a better relationship with her. Instead of blindly accepting all of her little snipes and cautionary comments, I challenge her or joke with her. When she tells me that I'm dreaming in technicolour, I respond by letting her know that even if I don't choose to act on this particular dream, vibrant colours make for more interesting daydreams. My intent is to question whether I believe what she is saying and to focus on examples from my life to prove her wrong when she is being negative or not supportive.

You might say, that in the form of Chatty Cathy, I am my own worst enemy. It is, however, my intention to transform this relationship.  One day, I hope to say, that she sounds like my number one fan and feels like my very best friend.

So what did your Chatty Cathy have to say to you today?