*Do you find yourself feeling like you don’t know why you just reacted big to something or someone?
*Do you find yourself not understanding why someone might be upset with you after a recent conversation?
*Do you find yourself lying about something for no reason?
There are many more questions that could be asked, but if you answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions, let’s explore your self awareness!
What is self awareness?
Self awareness is a person’s ability to observe and identify one’s own thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Self awareness can be split into two components, internal and external awareness. One who recognizes and processes their feelings and ways of thinking would have good internal awareness. A person who observes and identifies their impact on others and other people’s perceptions would have good external awareness. Self awareness can be a very important trait that one develops in their lifetime due to the impact it can have on many aspects of their life.
How can self awareness be powerful in your life?
The power of self awareness can extend to different elements of a person’s life including personal growth, relationships, one’s job or career, and overall physical and mental health. Lacking self awareness can cause a person to get overwhelmed by their thoughts and emotions which can lead to unhealthy behaviors and habits such as substance abuse, excessive eating, and poor self care. Self awareness can be observed through self reflection, positive social and familial relationships, healthy coping strategies, healthy communication, and by maintaining one’s physical health.
How can you achieve self awareness?
Keep a journal. Journaling is a simple way to write down your thoughts and feelings in order to understand them more clearly.
Mindfulness. Being mindful is the practice of being aware of what is happening in the present moment including being aware of your own thoughts, feelings, and senses.
Feedback from support. Seeking feedback from trusted people in a person’s life can provide insight into a person’s blind spots and weaknesses. Listening to other people’s perceptions can be beneficial for one's self awareness but can also be difficult. This would probably not be the first strategy to use if you are just starting out in your journey with self awareness.
Counseling. Through a collaborative relationship with a counselor, one would be able to utilize healthy support, interactive feedback, and education and implementation of different tools to help a person develop self awareness.
Each individual is fully capable of developing self awareness. Learning and practicing awareness in various aspects of a person’s life will initiate needed change and growth. Life is always evolving so the importance of awareness can be considered a key asset to one’s life.
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