The voice in your head

Ladies and gentlemen, you know that voice in your head — the one that never stops talking? What if I told you, it's not actually you, every time you think? 

You're not creating those thoughts; you're listening to something much bigger, something hidden in plain sight. Stick with me, because what you're about to learn will completely change the way you experience your mind, your thoughts, and yourself. Let's uncover the truth together.

The voice in your head. Is it really you? From the moment you open your eyes in the morning, the voice kicks into gear. It starts with simple questions: “What should I eat for breakfast”? Do I have enough time to get everything done today?

Then, as the day goes on, it ramps up. Why did I say that during yesterday's meeting? What if I mess up this presentation? What will they think of me if I fail?

It's a constant stream of chatter, filling every quiet moment with noise.

This voice feels like an essential part of you. It's so intertwined with your daily experience that you probably assume it is you. But let's pause for a moment. Is it really?

Have you ever had a thought that surprised you? Maybe it was a random, strange idea that seemed to come out of nowhere, or perhaps it was a memory you hadn't thought about in years. When those thoughts appeared, did you consciously choose them, or did they just happen?

The truth is you didn't create that thought. You heard it. The voice in your head isn't something you control; it's something you listen to. It's like a radio station playing in the background of your life, constantly broadcasting messages, whether you like them or not. But here's the twist: just because you hear the voice doesn't mean it's telling you the truth.

The voice in your head: Friend or foe?

This inner voice isn't always your ally. Sometimes it's your harshest critic. It replays your mistakes, exaggerates your fears, and creates worst-case scenarios that haven't even happened yet.

The more you listen to it, the more you believe it. You get trapped in its stories, convinced they're real. But once you realise that this voice isn't actually you, you gain the power to question it. And that's when everything starts to change.

The source of your thoughts: A silent puppeteer

Where do your thoughts come from if the voice in your head isn't truly you? The answer lies deep within your subconscious mind. Imagine your brain is a massive supercomputer, constantly processing information behind the scenes. Your subconscious mind is the operating system. It takes everything you've experienced and every belief you've absorbed, using that data to generate the thoughts you hear.

But here's where it gets tricky. Your subconscious doesn't always work in your favour. Its primary job is to keep you safe, not necessarily happy. It filters your thoughts through the lens of survival. Let's say you've had a bad experience with public speaking. Your subconscious remembers that feeling of embarrassment or failure and creates thoughts like: ‘What if I mess up again? I'm not good at this.’

These thoughts aren't based on reality; they're based on fear. That's why the voice in your head often focuses on the negative. It's trying to protect you by preparing you for the worst. But in doing so, it limits you. It keeps you stuck in old patterns, replaying the same fears and doubts over and over again, like a record on repeat. Unless you recognise what's happening, you'll keep dancing to the same tune.

What's even more fascinating is that many of these thoughts aren't even your own. They're influenced by external factors — society, family, culture. Think about the beliefs you hold about success, relationships, or even yourself. How many of those beliefs did you consciously choose, and how many were programmed into you by the world around you?

The voice in your head is like a puppet, and your subconscious mind is pulling the strings. But here's the good news: once you become aware of this, you can start cutting those strings. You can take back control, and that's when everything changes.

Why we're addicted to listening to ourselves

If the voice in your head often causes stress, doubt, and negativity, why do we keep listening to it? Why can't we just turn it off? The answer is surprisingly simple: we're addicted to it.

Listening to our thoughts gives us a sense of identity. Even when the voice is critical, it reinforces who we think we are. If the voice says, “You're not good enough”, we believe it because it fits the story we've been telling ourselves for years. This story becomes our comfort zone. Even if it's painful, it's familiar — like wearing an old, uncomfortable pair of shoes. They hurt, but they’re known to us.

On top of that, the voice in your head is incredibly persuasive. It doesn't just state facts; it weaves narratives. It tells you why you failed, why people don't like you, why you'll never succeed. These stories feel real because they're tied to your emotions. The more you engage with them, the stronger they become. It's a cycle: the voice speaks, you react, and your reaction feeds the voice.

But here's the thing: you don't have to listen. The voice is loud because it craves your attention, but you have the power to tune it out. Think of it like sitting by a busy road. The cars are constantly passing by, but you don't have to chase after them. You can just watch. This simple act of observing the voice without engaging is the first step toward breaking free from its grip.

The illusion of control: Why we think the voice is us

One of the most fascinating traps of the mind is its ability to convince you that you're in control of your thoughts. These are my thoughts, you tell yourself, so they must represent who I am, but let's examine this more closely.

If you were truly in control of your thoughts, wouldn't you always think positively? Wouldn't you choose clarity, confidence, and peace of mind every time? The fact that your thoughts often spiral into fear, doubt, and self-criticism is proof that they're not entirely under your control.

This illusion of control exists because the voice in your head masquerades as you. It uses phrases like ‘I am’, ‘I should’, or ‘I need’, attaching itself to your identity. For example, the thought ‘I'm not good enough’ doesn't feel like just a random idea. It feels like a fact about who you are. The mind uses this strategy to make the voice more convincing.

But once you recognise this pattern, you can begin to break free from it. You can learn to see your thoughts for what they really are: automatic mental habits, not reflections of your true self.

And that realisation is incredibly liberating. When you no longer identify with the voice, you reclaim your power. You become the observer, not the thinker. And from this place of awareness, you can finally experience true freedom.