Why do people refer to voicing a thought out loud as "talking to yourself", as though that were something weird? It seems like a perfectly normal thing to do to me, and I think everyone does it to a certain extent.

It only becomes a problem when it goes on constantly and the person can't control it, as in the case of someone who engages in continual angry monologues while walking down the street, for example.

As for an internal mental monologue or dialogue...most people do a lot of that too. Again, it only becomes a problem when it becomes uncontrollable. If one is unable to periodically quiet the mind, then one can become tortured by it...through constant anxiety, dwelling on the past, resentment, anger, guilt, extreme self-criticism, etc.

Do you feel that you are being oppressed by this inner conversation you're having, Bobert?