so about 2 months ago i was complaining to my therapist (again) about feeling stuck. like that feeling where you’re busy all day but nothing actually moves forward? and you have all these ideas but they just… disappear
she goes “try something for me. for one week, whenever you have a thought that feels important, say it out loud. doesnt matter where you are. just speak it”
i thought she was nuts tbh. but whatever im paying her so i tried it
first few days were awkward as hell. talking to myself in the car, in my apartment, on walks. felt like a crazy person lol. but then i started noticing things
like apparently i worry about the same 3 things on repeat. literally the exact same worries every single day. “what if my boss thinks im incompetent” shows up MINIMUM twice a day. every day. for years probably??
and the weirdest part – i have genuinely good ideas all the time. solutions to work problems, creative stuff, ways to fix things that bug me. but by the time i get to my desk or try to action them… gone. just completely gone
my therapist had me record these rambles for a week (just voice memos on my phone). when we listened back i was shocked. there was this super capable, creative person in those recordings. but also someone who immediately talks themselves out of everything
“that could work… but probably not” “i should try… nah too complicated”
“what if… nevermind thats dumb”
its like i have two people in my head. one who knows what to do and one who shuts everything down
been doing this for 2 months now and honestly its changed how i see myself. i actually trust my first instinct more because i can hear how often it was right. and seeing the anxiety patterns made them less scary somehow? like oh there’s that thought again, hi buddy, anyway moving on
anyone else tried anything like this? does talking out loud help anyone else process or am i just weird
edit: in a original message many people asked me for the exact exercise, so I attached a protocol my therapist gave me and post got removed by mod bot. moderators didn’t restored it so I post it again. hope it helps.
