Can't stop talking to myself due to anxiety

Hi,

Over the last several years I have developed the habit of talking to myself. It is always triggered by an anxious thought. One I have the though I feel anxious then I blurt out a word or phrase or short sentence. The words typically related to my sexuality, which has caused me much anxiety over the years. I don't know its going to happen prior to it happening. I often catch myself about to do it and I stop, or just just start to say something and then stop. It developed during a period of my life when I was very anxious and depressed, after one of my parents died. I went through another tough time due to work stress about a year ago and it was happening 100+ times a day at its peak. Now its just like 5 to 15 times a day. How do I stop this? Please help.

I'm not exactly sure what advice to give you, but I want you to know you aren't alone. One of the biggest manifestations of my anxiety when I was younger was compulsively talking. I never even recognized it was anxiety until years later. I never talked to myself, but generally that was because I would find people to be by. Even when I knew I was babbling, felt like I was being annoying, or did not want to talk; I just kept talking and my anxiety levels would rise if I talked too much or if I talked too little. I think this is something a lot of people experience in different ways, because talking (no matter how important or what it is about) seems to be a self soothing thing for some people and also an anxious compulsion. I know you posted this a while back, but I just wanted to show my support