Is it normal to talk to yourself?

Prevodilac: Ivana Krivokuca Lektor: Milenka Okuka

As your morning alarm blares, you mutter to yourself,

Dok vam ujutru zvoni alarm, mrmljate sebi u bradu:

“Why did I set it so early?”

„Zašto sam ga podesio toliko rano?”

While brushing your teeth, you think,

Dok perete zube, pomislite:

“I need a haircut... unless?”

„Treba da se šišam... A možda ipak...”

Rushing out the front door, you reach for your keys

Dok jurite kroz vrata, posežete za ključevima

and realize they’re not there.

i shvatate da nisu tu.

Frustrated you shout, “I can’t do anything right!”

Iznervirani, vičete: „Ne umem ništa da uradim kako treba!”

just in time to notice your neighbor.

baš u trenutku kada shvatate da je tu komšinica.

Being caught talking to yourself can feel embarrassing,

Može biti neprijatno kada vas uhvate da pričate sami sa sobom,

and some people even stigmatize this behavior as a sign of mental instability.

a neki čak stigmatizuju to ponašanje kao pokazatelj mentalne nestabilnosti.

But decades of psychology research show that talking to yourself

Ali decenije psiholoških studija ukazuju

da je sasvim normalno pričati sam sa sobom.

is completely normal.

In fact, most, if not all, of us engage in some form of self-talk

Zapravo, većina nas, ako ne i svi mi, vodimo neku vrstu razgovora sami sa sobom

every single day.

svakog dana.

So why do we talk to ourselves?

Zašto pričamo sami sa sobom?

And does what we say matter?

I da li je značajno ono što govorimo?

Self-talk refers to the narration inside your head,

Razgovor sa samim sobom podrazumeva naraciju u našoj glavi,

sometimes called inner speech.

što se ponekad zove unutrašnji govor.

It differs from mental imagery or recalling facts and figures.

Razlikuje se od mentalnih slika i prisećanja podataka i figura.

Specifically, psychologists define self-talk

Konkretno, psiholozi definišu razgovor sa samim sobom

as verbalized thoughts directed toward yourself or some facet of your life.

kao verbalizovane misli usmerene ka sebi ili nekom aspektu svog života.

This includes personal conversations like “I need to work on my free throw.”

To obuhvata lične razgovore poput: „Moram da poradim na slobodnom bacanju.“

But it also includes reflections you have throughout the day,

Ali takođe podrazumeva razmišljanja tokom dana,

like “The gym is crowded tonight. I’ll come back tomorrow.”

na primer: „Teretana je pretrpana večeras. Doći ću ponovo sutra.”

And while most self-talk in adults tends to be silent,

Dok je kod većine odraslih unutrašnji govor nečujan,

speaking to yourself out loud also falls into this category.

u ovu kategoriju spada i glasno govorenje sa sobom.

In fact, psychologists believe our first experiences with self-talk

Zapravo, psiholozi misle da se prva iskustva sa unutrašnjim govorom

are mostly vocal,

uglavnom odvijaju naglas,

as children often speak to themselves out loud as they play.

jer deca često naglas govore sama sa sobom dok se igraju.

In the 1930s, Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky hypothesized

Ruski psiholog Lev Vigotski je 1930-ih postavio hipotezu

that this kind of speech was actually key to development.

da je ta vrsta govora zapravo ključna za razvoj.

By repeating conversations they’ve had with adults,

Kroz ponavljanja razgovora koje su vodili sa odraslima,

children practice managing their behaviors and emotions on their own.

deca vežbaju da samostalno upravljaju svojim ponašanjem i emocijama.

Then, as they grow older, this outward self-talk tends to become internalized,

Potom, dok odrastaju, naglas vođeni razgovor sa sobom postaje internalizovan

morphing into a private inner dialogue.

i prerasta u privatni unutrašnji dijalog.

We know this internal self-talk is important,

Znamo da je taj pounutreni razgovor važan

and can help you plan, work through difficult situations,

i da može pomoći da planiramo, prebrodimo teške situacije,

and even motivate you throughout the day.

pa i da nas motiviše tokom dana.

But studying self-talk can be difficult.

Ali izučavanje unutrašnjeg govora može biti otežano.

It relies on study subjects clearly tracking a behavior that’s spontaneous

Oslanja se na to da ispitanici precizno prate ponašanje koje je spontano

and often done without conscious control.

i koje se često odvija bez svesne kontrole.

For this reason, scientists are still working to answer basic questions,

Usled toga, naučnici još uvek pokušavaju da odgovore na osnovna pitanja,

like, why do some people self-talk more than others?

na primer, zašto neki pričaju sami sa sobom više od drugih?

What areas of the brain are activated during self-talk?

Koje oblasti mozga se aktiviraju tokom razgovora sa samim sobom?

And how does this activation differ from normal conversation?

I kako se ta aktivacija razlikuje od normalnog razgovora?

One thing we know for certain, however,

Ono što znamo sa sigurnošću

is that what you say in these conversations can have real impacts

je da ono što kažete u tim razgovorima može imati stvarne posledice

on your attitude and performance.

u vezi sa vašim stavom i postignućem.

Engaging in self-talk that’s instructional or motivational

Za unutrašnji govor koji je poučan ili motivacioni

has been shown to increase focus, boost self-esteem,

pokazalo se da povećava fokus, podiže samopoštovanje

and help tackle everyday tasks.

i pomaže u rešavanju svakodnevnih zadataka.

For example, one study of collegiate tennis players

Na primer, jedna studija sprovedena na studentima teniserima

found that incorporating instructional self-talk into practice

otkrila je da je uvođenje instrukcionog unutrašnjeg govora u trening

increased their concentration and accuracy.

povećalo njihovu koncentraciju i tačnost.

And just as chatting to a friend can help decrease stress,

Baš kao što ćaskanje sa prijateljem može smanjiti stres,

speaking directly to yourself may also help you regulate your emotions.

direktan razgovor sa samim sobom može pomoći u regulisanju emocija.

Distanced self-talk is when you talk to yourself,

Izmešten unutrašnji govor je kada pričate sami sa sobom

as if in conversation with another person.

kao da razgovarate sa drugom osobom.

So, rather than “I’m going to crush this exam,”

Dakle, umesto „razvaliću na ovom ispitu”,

you might think, “Caleb, you are prepared for this test!”

možda pomislite: „Kejlebe, spreman si za ovaj test!”

One study found that this kind of self-talk was especially beneficial

Jedna studija je pokazala da je takav unutrašnji govor

posebno koristan za smanjenje stresa u aktivnostima koje izazivaju anksioznost,

for reducing stress when engaging in anxiety-inducing tasks,

such as meeting new people or public speaking.

poput upoznavanja novih ljudi ili javnog nastupa.

But where positive self-talk can help you, negative self-talk can harm you.

Ali dok pozitivan unutrašnji govor može pomoći, negativan može da naškodi.

Most people are critical of themselves occasionally,

Većina ljudi je povremeno samokritična,

but when this behavior gets too frequent or excessively negative,

ali kad se to ponašanje prečesto ispoljava ili postane preterano negativno,

it can become toxic.

može postati toksično.

High levels of negative self-talk are often predictive

Visok nivo negativnog unutrašnjeg govora

često je prediktor anksioznosti kod dece i odraslih.

of anxiety in children and adults.

And those who constantly blame themselves for their problems

A oni koji stalno krive sebe za svoje probleme

and ruminate on those situations

i preterano razmišljaju o tim situacijama

typically experience more intense feelings of depression.

često prolaze kroz intenzivnija osećanja depresije.

Today, there’s a field of psychological treatment

Danas postoji oblast psihološkog lečenja

called cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT,

zvana kognitivno-bihejvioralna terapija ili KBT,

which is partially focused on regulating the tone of self-talk.

koja je delimično usmerena na regulisanje tona unurašnjeg razgovora.

Cognitive behavioral therapists often teach strategies

Kognitivno-bihejvioralni terapeuti često podučavaju strategijama

to identify cycles of negative thoughts

za identifikaciju ciklusa negativnih misli

and replace them with neutral or more compassionate reflections.

i njihove zamene neutralnim ili saosećajnijim mislima.

Over time, these tools can improve one's mental health.

Ti alati vremenom mogu poboljšati mentalno zdravlje osobe.

So the next time you find yourself chatting with yourself,

Stoga sledeći put kada primetite da ćaskate sami sa sobom,

remember to be kind.

setite se da budete nežni.

That inner voice is a partner you’ll be talking to for many years to come.

Taj unutrašnji glas je partner sa kojim ćete pričati još mnogo godina.