The Voice

The Voice

We all have that little voice in our heads.  The conscience that we are told.  It tells us what is right and what is wrong.  There are moments in our lives when that voice leads us down a path that can be so very helpful, and we have the best time of our life.  However, that very same voice can lead us down a path that can cause us so much pain.  That voice sometimes becomes our only friend we have.  Those moments when we feel so very alone, and that voice is the only thing we have to keep us company.  And that voice sometimes when you’re too far gone can cause us to do some things that are so regrettable.  It causes us to harm ourselves physically, mentally, and emotionally.  And not only cause harm to ourselves, but cause harm to our friends and family.  There are moments in our lives when that voice tells us to do things we never would’ve thought about doing.  It eats away at us from time to time.  But how do we not listen to the voice?  Is there a way?  Unfortunately, that is not always easy to do.  It’s an odd thing, really: As we’re having an experience, the little voice in our head is simultaneously describing, explaining, and commentating on it, providing a summary before, during, and after its unfolding.  Depressed people who do not have schizophrenia can experience hallucinations and delusions that seem random; but in the classic case the psychosis is an unreal exaggeration of the emotions linked to depression sadness, shame, guilt, and worthlessness.  For someone living with anxiety, the voice, or anxious self-talk can be overbearing.  This inner mental chatter is very common in anxiety disorders. Because each individual is different, the voice of anxiety sounds a bit different for each person. There are, however, common themes among anxiety’s blather. We’re all totally unique and experience the world differently, so it makes sense that those who hear voices will have different experiences. These voices may crop up when no one else is around, or when you’re in a room full of people. There could be just one voice or many. You may recognize the voice as someone you know, or it could be the voice of a stranger.  You may find certain situations or environments trigger your voices too, for example when you sit down to eat dinner or when you feel stressed.  For some the voices can be positive, uplifting and even comforting. For others, what they hear can be confusing, frightening and commanding. It may sound like someone is standing next to you talking, or it may be more like a thought. Sometimes people have a combination of the two.  You may not hear voices at all, you may hear other noises like knocking or music. When you hear something other people can’t, it’s generally called an auditory hallucination. Other forms of hallucination include seeing, smelling, tasting and feeling things others don’t.  These voices are always going to be a constant battle with some.  It can cause people to spend hours even days to stay in bed and not talk to anyone.  It can bring harm to so many people and this causes the person hearing said voices.  And that causes so many more problems for the person hearing them.  They start to wonder if they are a problem.  The voice grows louder and louder.  It becomes a crutch for some and becomes the only thing they can rely on.  There are times when the voice stops people from doing things that they enjoy most in life.  The voice is very haunting because it tends to be comforting to those who are wanting to harm themselves.  It tells them to go through with it.  That they are worthless.  But then the voice does tend to become quieter.  There are people in our lives that helps us overcome the voice and feel like we mean something again.  The voice is all in our head (no pun intended) but that’s all that it is.  The only thing we should listen to is our heart.  It can be difficult at times but we can overcome that voice.