It feels like there are 2 people in my head. One is confident, courageous and positive, the other is conservative, cautious and anxious. Most of the time they co-exist peacefully, but when I am under stress they fight. Their battles go on for days and weeks, as long as the stress persists. But I am determined and the confident one suppresses the worried and anxious one, not letting her speak, pushing away her comments forcing her to be quiet. This needs to happen so I can continue to move forward and progress to do the things I need to do. But then when I am asleep, I start sleep talking, repeating the same phrases over and over, sometimes to shout out - shouting is something I am too quiet to do when awake.

I asked a psychologist about it. He said it is quite common for people to feel this way, and many people have a chattering conversation in their heads, that the sleep talking was the repressed person not being able to get a voice in the day, emerging from the sub- conscious at night.

I was tired and worn out with it all. He gave a simple exercise to do. To put 2 chairs (e.g. Kitchen chairs) opposite facing each other. Sit in one and ask a question. Then move to the other facing chair (it doesn't work if you don't move) and answer your question. Moving forward back and forth, interviewing yourself. At most I can manage about ten minutes. But it really clears my mind. Everyone has a chance to speak, all are listened to, and the tension in my stomach released.

It helped me, what do you do to find peace?

The woman whose feet don't touch the ground.

A Moodscope member.