Week 6: The voice in your head is not your identity

How much of what you consider yourself is actually just the voice in your head? This week explores the difference between your true self and the internal narrator that comments on your life, often from a place of fear, criticism, or conditioning.

Inside your mind, there are essentially two aspects of consciousness:

The Observer: The part of you that experiences, feels, and knows without words

The Narrator: The voice that comments, judges, worries, and creates stories

Most people identify completely with the narrator, mistaking the voice in their head for their true self. But the narrator is largely composed of internalized voices from your past - parents, teachers, society, media - mixed with your ego’s attempts to control and protect.

Your authentic self is more like the observer: present, aware, responsive rather than reactive, connected to intuition and feeling rather than just thought.

The Inner Critic: Usually internalized critical voices from childhood

The Worrier: Attempts to control the future through mental rehearsal

The Comparer: Measures you against others to determine worth

The Judge: Creates stories about right/wrong, good/bad

The Pusher: Drives you toward achievement and productivity

Exercise 1: The Narrator Identification

For three days, whenever you notice the voice in your head, pause and ask:

Whose voice does this sound like?

What is this voice trying to protect me from?

Is this thought serving my authentic self or just creating noise?

Don’t try to stop the voice; just notice it with curiosity.

Exercise 2: The Observer Practice

Each day, spend 10 minutes in observer mode:

Sit quietly and notice your thoughts without engaging with them

Imagine you’re watching clouds pass through the sky of your mind

When you get caught up in a thought, gently return to observing

Notice the space between thoughts

Exercise 3: The Voice Dialogue

Write a conversation between yourself and your internal narrator. Let the narrator express its concerns, then respond from your wiser, calmer self. For example:

Narrator: You’re not working hard enough. Everyone else is ahead of you.

Authentic Self: I appreciate that you want to protect me, but I’m exactly where I need to be.

Exercise 4: The Silence Experiment

Practice periods of mental silence throughout the week:

During routine activities, consciously quiet the mental commentary

When walking, notice when you slip into mental chatter and return to presence

Before responding in conversations, pause and notice what wants to be said beneath the automatic mental response

Weekly Practice

Before making any decision this week, pause and ask: Is this choice coming from my internal narrator or from my authentic knowing? Notice the difference in how each source feels in your body.

What themes does my internal narrator repeat most often?

How has identifying with my thoughts served or limited me?

When do I feel most like my authentic self, beyond the mental chatter?

What would change if I trusted my deeper knowing over my mental analysis?

Write about who you are beneath the voice in your head. What remains when you strip away the mental commentary? What qualities, desires, and knowing exist in the space beyond thought?