“Chatter” by Ethan Kross

• “Ask yourself the question”
• For some, introspection is detrimental
• Our default state is non-present (future looking or past remembering; 30%-50% of our waking hours)
• Linguistic skills co-develop with self-control skills
• “Zooming out” helps calm out inner voices
• Time can be a natural way to zoom out
• “Invisible help” perseveres self-esteem
• Touch helps other’s manage their chatter
• Nature experiences (real or virtual, visual or auditory) create calm
  • The point is to create “awe”
• Voluntary attention exhausts quickly and needs to be recharged
• Imposing physical order creates calm
• Placebos, “good luck charms”, and rituals have a real affect on the brain
• Beliefs shape expectations which can hush the chatter

Tools

• Self-talk
  • User your name and 2nd person “you”
  • Ask what you would say to a friend in the same situation
  • Reframe the challenge is terms of situations you have handled before
  • Remind yourself that your body’s response to stress is there to help you
  • Normalize your situation
  • Think about future-you
  • Visualize the problem and zoom out
  • Write about your thoughts
  • Perform a ritual or hand a charm
• Tools that use other people
  • Address cognitive and emotional needs (validate their experiences and provide suggestions)
  • Invisibly support
  • Touch affectionately
  • Be someone else’s placebo
• Environment
  • Create order
  • Expose yourself to green space
  • Seek out awe-inspiring experiencing