It must have happened to you, you must have seen it, you must know somebody doing it regularly, and it must have been shown in movies…a person endlessly talking to himself.

This is something that has two sides to it.

Generally if you found talking to yourself, the world will stamp you as crazy. It is something that the society still frowns upon. Every passerby will throw a strange look at you.

However, Psychiatrists say that it is simply a habit for some; they may be using it to keep themselves organized, stay focused and remind themselves of their plan of actions and goal. We all must have seen this happening with our Indian team fast bowler Sreesanth, who talks to himself almost before every ball he bowls.

One of my ex-colleague who is a graphic designer, used to say to himself loud “good job man” soon after completing every design work.

Psychiatrists caution that talking to yourself is good for your mental health only when you realize that you are talking to yourself. It is good only when you say good things to yourself.

Importantly when talking with yourself, you should focus on positive messages and positive actions that you can take. If you’re not conscious enough, you could end up uttering negative messages as we tend to remember unpleasant memories and events much quicker than happy thoughts and ideas. It takes self-discipline and self-awareness to make full us self talk to your benefit.

For some, it is a mode to slip into fantasy and escape the reality. It could help them de-stress and relax better. They should exercise caution which otherwise might become too habitual. Habitual dreamers cannot achieve anything as actions alone can bring desired results.

On the other hand, sometimes talking to oneself can indeed be a reflection of mental illness. It depends on the person. Some people with psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia may lose touch with reality and experience auditory hallucinations of voices. They feel compelled to respond to “their” voices and even carry on extensive conversations.

It’s not unusual to see some homeless, helpless people, quite oblivious to their surrounding, conversing earnestly when no one else is nearby. It could also happen to those who are depressed or deeply frustrated or emotionally drained.

Out of the psychic confines, we see a new set of people, modern, educated, youthful, moving past you carrying on unending conversations. On closer look you could see them holding a mobile phone and a Bluetooth ear piece.

So… there are plenty of situations when talking out loud to yourself or to no one in particular is perfectly appropriate and socially acceptable. There is nothing to frown about.

Who, finally, are the crazy ones? It is the obviously the cell phone talkers who don’t look where they are going, don’t care who hears every mind-numbing detail about their business and personal affairs, and couldn’t care less that they are driving everyone the city traffic crazy.

What do you say?