The Voices in Our Heads

Do you hear voices in your head?

I’m not talking about a serious case of mental illness (I don’t think so, at any rate!), but we all have voices in our heads. Call them what you will – negative tapes that play or our inner brat. It’s all bad stuff that bounces around in our heads, frequently without us even realizing it. I think they’re probably a combination of our own sinful nature and spiritual warfare. Regardless of the source, they mess us up.

You don’t have it all together.
You can’t do this.
It’s all a mess.
Nothing is working. 
You’ll never get to do what you want to do.
You’re messing them up.
They’d be better off in school. 
It will never all get done.
There’s no point. 
It’s all useless.

Been there? I’ve found myself spiraling into the pit of despair when there really isn’t a good reason. Things aren’t really going that badly. The thing I’m upset about isn’t that big of a deal. When I stop and force myself to form words out of what I’m feeling, I find that it’s the type of things I’ve listed above. Those words aren’t true or edifying. They’re paralyzing and extremely depressing.

Sometimes those voices feel like a warm blanket, as twisted as that sounds. It’s comfortable to wallow in despair, frustration, and depression. It feels like a worn out security blanket that’s a little hard to give up. Maybe it’s a prideful search for attention. Look at me and all I’m suffering. I’m so messed up…

That, of course, isn’t healthy or Biblical, either. And deep down, I’d much rather have peace and joy.

So what do we do? “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2b) We need to find replacement tapes to play, words to tell our inner brat when she pipes up her voice. “Set your mind on things above, not on things of this world.” (Colossians 3:2)

For me, the first step is to realize that I have these voices in my head saying not nice things to me. When I’m in the middle of one of those downward spirals, it’s hard to recognize it, but once I do, I can cry out to God for help. Writing down what the voices say is helpful, too. They sound so real and legitimate in my head but look fairly ridiculous on paper.

Once they’re out of my head and on paper, I can counteract them with specific Scriptures that remind me of what is true and good.

“I can do everything through Him who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13)

“With Christ, all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26)

For me, homeschooling with a crazy 3 year old running around, those two verses are great places to start.

How about you? Do you struggle with this? What are your favorite verses to remember when you hear negative voices in your head?

 

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