What's the difference between voices and voices?

Hey JT,

I so love your honesty.

Hmmm.. I hear voices too. Sometimes they are mine, sometimes it's god. Is this normal? I don't really care anymore about "normal" because I'm not interested in being normal so I can't help with that - sorry.

I have had to learn for myself that there are:

• some voices I need to listen to immediately - my intuition telling me something/someone is not safe for me (even when there is absolutely no apparent logical reason)
• some voices I need to ignore or refute - my rampant self-hatred in destructo mode
• some voices I need to sit with for a while - when I'm asked to do something differently or change (sometimes in a way that is very challenging or frightening) for my own or others' well-being
• the voice that says (in the midst of others telling me otherwise) I'm a worthwhile and loveable person who makes mistakes - this makes me human, not bad

These are a few of the important ones. There are probably others. Some are helpful, some are not. The latter are the most difficult to deal with because they are usually in full cry when I am struggling most. That is when I need to be quiet long enough to hear the still small voice that tells me I am loved & loveable as myself.

Kind regards,

Kristin

@kristin you're right there, normal is the cycle on a washing machine and nothing more for me. I think I mean normal in the regular sense of the word. More black and white as what is right or wrong. Though in that sense there's nothing necessarily wrong with hearing voices either. I think I am wondering more about how I can draw comparisson on something that has been there for so long that for me could be seen as normal rather than something that shouldn't be there?

@kato I put on headphones to block it too, and drive with loud music at times to avoid the distraction. I think you're right though, if they aren't a bother why question it but it'd still be nice to know the difference.

@Uggbootdiva darned if I know how to work out if it's aural or inside. To me I can hear them and they interupt me. I know I hear noises that aren't there and I see things that aren't there so perhaps that is the questions they should be asking me instead lol. They're real to me and always have been since childhood. They interupt me and they keep me awake at night.

Guess so @Uggbootdiva and yes @kristin is right. They aren't always there or always upfront and annoying though and I wouldn't say they disrupt my life except maybe that I've listened to them a little too much in the past. Would I want someone to try and stop them though? Not contemplating that until someone can convince me they shouldn't be there lol Bit still, as kato said good question in the first place. I'm sure we're not alone in wondering the answer.

That's the question really isn't it. I hear voices talking. They talk to each other and they talk to me. Are they just random thoughts or a simple conversation? I'm calling them voices because they are distinctively different from each other.

Hi @Uggbootdiva ,

Yes I think they're probably similar.

Mine used to keep me awake a lot, especially when stressed/overwhelmed. That happens much less often these days for me. I think a combination of having some mindfulness techniques to help me "unhook" from the merry-go-round headspace, a better grasp of my internal world - more consciousness really, and mostly being in a space to deal with things as they arise rather than having to park them in an overflowing too-hard basket.

But I'd be lying if I said they never keep me awake any more. They do sometimes (tho' much less often) and when mindfulness doesn't work I will read to drown/drowse them out, then go to sleep. I think even if I'm not sleeping at least I am resting. I find this helps to disempower the anxious voice that says I won't function if I don't get enough sleep - and therefor adds to the unable to get to sleep burdens.

Kind regards,

Kristin