Breathing, Positive Psychology, Thought Patterns

Don’t Be Afraid To Think Out Loud When Sorting Problems

Never be afraid to think out loud! When we are faced with a problem, tough task, mental roadblock, or anything else that might be holding us back in life, we might get a sense that we are stuck in this current situation forever. 

Trying to find a way out will likely seem impossible if you don’t know how to work through it. And since we all deal with things differently, many people won’t know what they need to do before finding a solution. 

If you ever find yourself in this situation, thinking out loud can help you narrow down the real issues at hand and give you a clearer picture as to what needs to happen next. This is often an important technique for those that don’t always feel comfortable taking their issues to other people. 

Why Should You Do It?

While there are a variety of benefits when thinking out loud, many people won’t do it because they feel it will make them seem “weird” or “strange.” The truth is, there should be no shame in thinking out loud and talking to yourself when trying to sort through certain issues at hand. 

When our problems get clustered and stuck inside our head, they could get mixed up with other emotions and be affected by any other issues that are happening in your life. Eventually, you’ll start to become more confused as your problems all get jumbled together. 

Thinking out loud will allow you to pick apart all the different problem areas in your life and individually find a solution for them. Think about it, when coaches in a sport are putting together plays for the game plan, they have to visually see them work and often write the plays down on a piece of paper before utilizing them in practice and in games. 

When we think out loud, it’s the equivalent of game planning in sports. Plus, thinking out loud will likely give you a different perspective on the situation. Sometimes we won’t see the whole picture when the issue is stuck in our head. Putting it out in the open could help you see what’s really going on. 

Tips On Thinking Out Loud

If you find yourself struggling to effectively think out loud, there are some things you can do to practice and eventually become better at it. 

First off, you have to learn to put your pride aside for a little while. Open yourself up to a conversation with yourself, welcome it, and embrace it. You’ll be surprised by the things you can break down when you allow your mind to speak itself clearly. 

If you need to, find a piece of paper or a whiteboard to write on. Start by stating the issue at hand, writing down things that might’ve put you in this particular situation, try to narrow it down to the root cause.

You’ll find that the more you think out loud and write things down, the more you’ll uncover what you weren’t seeing before. You’ll finally start to put the pieces together. After all, when we start a new puzzle, the only way to finish it is by physically moving the pieces, not just imagining them together.