There’s a little voice inside your head that never shuts up. You know the one. It’s currently replaying that embarrassing thing you said in 2014 and wondering if cats have any concept of Thursday.
That voice — the chaotic, cryptic, and surprisingly brilliant roommate living rent-free in your skull — is your subconscious mind. And it’s not just a tenant; it’s your best friend. You’ve just been having a decades-long argument because you don’t speak the same language.
Your subconscious is fluent in the dialect of vibes, cryptic dreams, and gut feelings that scream “ABORT MISSION” right before you order a third cocktail. It’s the friend who can’t say, “Darling, he’s a human red flag,” so instead, it gives you a full-body cringe when he uses the word moist. That’s not anxiety; that’s loyalty.
Picture this: you walk into a party. Your conscious mind is having a full-blown panic attack — Do I smell weird? Is my smile doing that thing? Why did I wear this? Meanwhile, your subconscious is lounging in the control room like a zen master, sipping metaphorical tea. It’s already scanned the room, identified the snack table, and flagged the one person who looks kind. It’s been running this “human interaction” software since we were dodging sabertooth tigers. Your only job is not to trip over the rug.
We treat this inner genius like a weird cousin who might start yodelling at a funeral. But your subconscious isn’t trying to embarrass you — it’s trying to save you. It’s been compiling data since you were traumatised by that clown at your fifth birthday party, building a bespoke internal GPS for your life. You just keep ignoring the directions because it refuses to use Waze.
Sometimes, it communicates through dreams. And yes, the dreams are unhinged. One night you’re late for a meeting because you have to wrestle a sentient stapler; the next, you’re peacefully having a picnic with a talking sloth. Your subconscious isn’t crazy — it’s a stressed-out intern trying to file that day’s emotional paperwork, and it’s working with the office supplies it has. Every dream is a note that says, “Here’s what’s up,” but it’s written in glitter glue by a raccoon on espresso.
If you could translate it, you’d see your subconscious is the most patient, ride-or-die companion you’ll ever have. It listens to you rant about your boss for the 47th time, forgives you for that haircut, and never says, “I told you so,” even though it absolutely did — via a suspicious stomach lurch and a vivid flashback to that time you trusted a guy named Ace.
It knows you’re not okay before you do. It sends memos: the 2 PM exhaustion that feels like a weighted blanket of sadness, the sudden, furious urge to reorganise your sock drawer at 2 AM. It’s your inner friend gently shaking your shoulders, saying, “Hey. We’re not fine.” But since you’re monolingual, it has to use your own adrenal system as a translator.
We live in a world that worships logic and spreadsheets. Your subconscious runs on poetry, intuition, and the unwavering belief that karaokeing Bohemian Rhapsody is a good idea. It’s the part of you that falls in love while your brain is still drafting a pros and cons list. It’s the part that knows the answer before you’ve finished the question. It’s the part that still believes in you when you’ve decided you’re a lost cause.
It doesn’t judge. It doesn’t ghost you. It’s in the passenger seat on every road trip, every bad date, every silent 3 AM moment when you think you’re completely alone.
So the next time you’re spiralling, try something radical: stop. Breathe. Listen. Your subconscious might not use words, but it’s got your back with the ferocity of a honey badger that thinks you’re its cub.
It’s the invisible hype-man that cheers when you’re brave, the comfort blanket that wraps around you when you’re broken, and the DJ that plays your favourite forgotten song exactly when you need it most.
And maybe that’s the truest kind of friendship — not someone who always gets you, but someone who never, ever leaves. A built-in guardian that quietly, constantly guides you home.
You’ve got a friend in you.
You always have.
