Do you ever talk to yourself? Does everyone talk to themselves? Do tough times make our negative chatter worse? Elizabeth Bernstein, a writer for The Wall Street Journal, recently asked these questions of experimental psychologist Ethan Kross, who has written a book about self-talk called “Chatter: The Voice in Your Head.”

Kross explains that we all talk silently to ourselves every day: “We do it to keep things fresh in our heads, like repeating a phone number, or we try to simulate what we are planning to say, like when we go on an interview.”

However, he says our self-talk can sabotage us, when we “chatter” in our head trying to find the answer to a problem, but end up making the problem worse.”

Kross admits that tough times can make our negative chatter worse, saying, “This is the chatter event of the century. Political instability. A once-in-a-hundred-years virus that is causing us to not socialize directly with others. There are political divisiveness, unemployment, and a shaky economy.

When asked how we can control the negative chatter in our minds, Kross says there is a lot of research that shows we are much better at advising other people than ourselves. He suggests, “It can help to think of yourself as if you are someone else. Use distanced self-talk and coach yourself as if you were advising a friend.”

Julia Cameron, a creative writer and recovering alcoholic, describes her private thoughts, in her book “Finding Water.” “The Devil always comes at me as anxiety and the thing I cannot fix. The Devil wants me to think that if I just have a drink, everything will be better. The Devil tells me I am about to lose everything. He would surely like to paralyze me with fear so that losing things becomes more likely.” Julia has learned to talk back to the negative voice. She tells herself, “There is nothing that taking a drink is going to make better. I am not alone. I will Let go and let God. I will take one day at a time. She reminds herself that God is bigger and more powerful than her problems. She says, “Without such a God, I am lost.”

My friend tells me that when she is worried, she writes letters to God. When we journal our feelings, telling God about our fearful thoughts, and asking for His help, we begin to take our eyes off of ourselves and focus on the Higher Power. Often, as we journal, God’s Words begin to enter our mind, replacing the negative thoughts.

Christian speaker and writer Joyce Meyer writes about the “Battlefield of the Mind.” She says, “Sometimes we have to reason with ourselves. When strange feelings threaten to overwhelm us, we need to stop and take control of our thoughts and feelings. One way we do that is by talking to ourselves.” She speaks of a time when she dealt with feelings of loneliness. She began to say to herself, “Joyce, knock it off! You may feel lonely, but you are not alone. Think of all the people God has put in your life.” She then begins to thank God for each friend.

We are responsible for keeping our minds healthy. Zig Ziggler said, “Literally everything that goes into your mind has an effect. It either builds or prepares you for the future or it tears down and reduces your accomplishments.”

Many of us have fears about the future of our country, and if we focus our thoughts on what could happen, we are in trouble. We must continually remind ourselves that God is bigger and more powerful than our problems. Yes, without such a God, we and our nation are lost.