Hi there,
What’s the Story?
Things are good, and they’re about to get even busier. I’m neck deep in a very busy month and moonlighting by continuing the writing of the book, so stay tuned for what’s coming next.
In the meantime, here’s something special for you. This one’s all about your inner voice… and how to finally take control of it.
Also, you can check out the latest clips I’ve uploaded on my YouTube channel of me in action.
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Mastering the Inner Voice: How to Stop the Internal Madness and Take Back Control
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes 20 seconds
There’s a voice inside your head. In fact, there’s not just one. There’s a whole committee in there. A full-on election campaign, with candidates constantly debating, interrupting, and, more often than not, criticising.
This is what I call the inner multi-log. It’s not just internal dialogue. It’s a full-blown roundtable of emotional commentators trying to get elected as the dominant voice of the day.
Let’s break it down and show you how to take back control.
The Voice Inside Your Head Isn’t Just One
Most people think of the inner voice as one stream of self-talk. But the truth is far more chaotic. You’ve got:
- The anxious voice (“What if this all goes wrong?”)
- The critic (“You’re a joke.”)
- The imposter (“Soon they’ll all find out…”)
- The depressed voice (“Why even bother?”)
- The angry voice (“I can’t believe they did that!”)
And they’re not alone. You’ve also got:
- The calm voice
- The focused voice
- The grateful voice
- The determined voice
- The hero voice
Each of these voices comes out depending on your mood, your state, and your focus. And here’s the kicker: the voice you hear most isn’t necessarily the “truth-teller.” It’s the one that wins the mood election in your brain.
Thoughts Aren’t Just Logical – They’re Emotional
Here’s what most people miss: thoughts don’t just lead to feelings. Feelings lead to thoughts. They feed each other. It’s a two-way street.
You don’t just “think a negative thought” and then feel bad. You might already be in a low mood, and that triggers the negative voice to speak up. That voice starts referencing old evidence (“Remember when you failed at that thing 6 years ago? Yeah, that’s why you’ll fail again.”). And now you’re not just thinking badly… you’re believing badly.
As I say in my sessions, when you’re depressed, you don’t think negatively. You believe negatively. It feels real.
Belief, Mindset, and the Multi-Log
Let’s get clear on terms:
- A belief is an idea you feel certain about.
- A mindset is a collection of beliefs about a topic.
- Your inner voice is the running commentary that draws from these beliefs, shaped by mood and memory.
And those beliefs? They’re not just logical conclusions. They’re based on patterns you saw or imagined. Sometimes the pattern is real. Sometimes it’s completely made up. But your brain doesn’t always care.
You once failed in front of a crowd? Your mind might file that as, “I always fail in public,” even though you didn’t. Welcome to inner propaganda.
The Emotional Election: Who Gets the Mic?
Here’s where it gets wild.
Each internal voice is like a politician trying to stay in power. Once the depressed voice is in charge, it wants to stay in charge. It tells stories that keep you depressed. Why? Because that’s how it survives. That’s how it keeps the mic.
Same with anxiety. If it keeps you worrying, it keeps itself relevant.
So what do we do?
We change the conditions of the election. We do this through the following tools.
10 Tools to Master Your Inner Voice
Here’s the good stuff, concrete tools you can start using right away:
1. Distancing Language
Talk about yourself in the third person. “I’m no good” becomes “Owen feels like he’s not good enough.” Instantly less emotional weight.
2. Change the Pronoun
“I’m a failure” becomes “You feel like a failure.” Even that subtle shift loosens the grip.
3. Change the Tone
Use a ridiculous voice. Mickey Mouse. Borat. Whatever. If you wouldn’t take it seriously out loud, don’t let it bully you in your head.
4. Challenge the Voice
Ask it questions: “How do you know that’s true?” or “Is that always the case?” Interrupt its certainty.
5. Invite Other Voices
If the critic is shouting, ask: “What would the empowered voice say?” Give airtime to someone else.
6. But It Out
“I don’t think I can do this… but maybe I’m wrong.” Reverse the sentence and make “but” your best friend.
7. Ask Better Questions
“What if this works? What if it’s easier than I thought?” Direct your brain to seek better answers.
8. Focus on the Objective
“What am I trying to achieve right now?” Sometimes we forget we’re here to do something useful.
9. Shift Perspective
Look at it from the future (“How will I see this a year from now?”) or from someone else’s eyes (“How would they see this?”).
10. Write It Down
Get it out of your head and onto paper. Third person. Past tense. Then tear it to shreds with logic and compassion.
Your Inner Voices Are Storytellers
Here’s the real mindbender.
When something bad happens, you’ve got story-voices waiting to spin it:
- Victim voice (“Life’s not fair. Why does this always happen to me?”)
- Villain voice (“This is all my fault. I ruin everything.”)
- Extra voice (“I’m irrelevant. No one notices me anyway.”)
You need to use the hero voice. The one that says:
“Yeah, this is hard… but I’ve got this. I’m choosing to rise.”
The difference between a villain and a hero? One gives up. The other takes responsibility and writes a better ending.
You’re not stuck with the story you were given. You can rewrite it.
Your inner voice is not just some benign narrator. It’s a shape-shifting cast of characters, some helpful, some destructive. You can’t silence them all, but you can choose which ones to believe. Start by changing how you speak to yourself.
Because the voices in your head? They’re listening to you, too.
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The Brain Prompt
Next time your inner voice turns toxic, do three things:
- Name the voice: Is it the critic? The anxious one? The victim?
- Switch the pronoun: Move from “I” to “you” or “he/she.”
- Invite the empowered voice in, and ask, “What would they say right now?”
For more actionable insights on storytelling, influence, and psychology, subscribe to Inner Propaganda.
Cheers,
Owen.