In every person’s walk in life, no matter what economic class, ethnic background, etc., one carries, happiness is one of the hallmarks in life worth attaining. An article mentions that despite the past findings saying that attaining happiness is a bourgeoisie pursuit, growing evidence suggests that happiness and contentment with one’s life are essential for mental health and social adaptation.
It’s natural for everyone to come to a point in their life where they want to pursue happiness. Maybe you’re currently in a place in your life where you want the same for yourself, but you’re not sure how to start.
A good place to start is by looking into yourself, evaluating and assessing what you want to change in your life, your immediate surroundings, your line of work, etc., and deciding where you want to go from there. But before you start making changes, you have to know where you are right now. But how?
In one study, researchers remarked that reaching an inner silence (also known as eudemonia) facilitates awareness of different I-positions. This enables a person to feel more freedom over their emotions, opinions, and actions. In this case, self-awareness is helpful in many areas of your life. It can help you become a better parent, friend, employee, and overall a better person.
What Is Self-awareness?
Self-awareness relates to you having an eye on your thoughts, feelings, triggers, needs, and any other inward concept of yourself. It plays an integral part in your development as a person. Having a sense of who you are, your weaknesses, and how you can improve are some points self-awareness does a great job of unveiling.
How Can One Improve Their Self-awareness?
Given that self-awareness is integral to your personhood, it is, unfortunately, something not always in mind. With all the distractions that leave your mind cluttered or focused on other things, self-awareness can sometimes turn up on the back burner. Here are some suggestions you can add to your daily routine to practice self-awareness.
Meditate
When we hear meditation, people’s minds will think that it’s a group of monks sitting cross-legged on the floor in silence. This may have been the typical scene of meditation in everybody’s mind. Still, such biases and misconceptions have been debunked as people realize the positive effects of meditation as they practice it themselves.
In reality, meditation comes in different forms. Doing yoga or even praying is a form of meditation. Anything that leads you to a state of calm and stays present at the moment. Meditation is not something that’s easily defined. Many academics have different definitions for meditation depending on which aspect of it is given emphasis. But for the sake of discussion, let’s focus on one of its significant outcomes, which is mindfulness.
Mindfulness is a form of meditation that’s helpful to different people from different walks of life. Mindfulness contributes to self-regulation, which in turn assists you in processing your thoughts and emotions. Through various activities of meditation, mindfulness is facilitated.
Use Journaling
Journaling is a great way to organize cluttered thoughts and emotions. Writing all of these things down one by one enables you to realize the core of why you got upset earlier today or why you felt hurt when a friend said a certain comment.
It provides clarity and enhances your self-awareness such that it helps you see what your triggers might be, current stressors, and struggles. For instance, if you’re going through rehabilitation for meth use, a log of your progress would help your recovery. Multiple sources online share journal prompts that you can use. Some of which are gratitude journaling, habit tracking, and other exercises.
Listen Intently
Listening doesn’t just start and stop with yourself; you have to be receptive to other people’s feedback, too. Sometimes, others see what you don’t, and some of these things are worth pointing out. To grow, you need others to help you stay accountable. Healthy, loving, and constructive criticism from our trusted peers and loved ones will help expand your perspective. Remain receptive to what they have to say to you and take it as an opportunity to improve.
Consider Therapy
Maybe all you ever needed was a psychologically safe space to explore your thoughts and feelings. Having a professional ear to help you make sense of your experiences, feelings, trauma, and more could help you achieve the clarity and peace you‘ve been seeking. Therapists have the ability to help you dig through past traumas, enabling you to become self-aware.
Whether it’s about your career path, coping with an illness, or being on your journey to recovery, a therapist aids you by sharing mental tools to help you get through life healthily and productively.
Looking within yourself is never easy. It leaves any person vulnerable. But to grow and make the changes needed to become the best version of yourself, you have to take that leap of faith towards yourself.
