Turn it down: how to silence your inner voice

According to one study, we talk to ourselves at 4,000 words per minute. (By comparison, 6,000 spoken words, such as the state of the Union Address, lasts more than an hour.) No wonder that listening to it can be exhausting!

It can also be self-sabotaging. Ruminative thoughts take hold of us and overrun and ruin outer experiences. But those who are able to quieten their inner voice are happier.

• Venting to friends does more harm than good because it pushes away those you need most.
• Distanced self-talk - speaking to yourself in the second or third person - helps to gain emotional perspective "Rachel, you should calm down, it is not the end of the world."
• The power of touch - putting your arms around someone.
• Activities that induce "awe", such as a walk in the mountains or looking at a great work of art, can help with a sense of perspective.
• Writing a daily journal.
• Creating exterior order can impact your interior order.
• Temporal distancing. Try to see yourself one year from now.