Getting to Know Myself: Self Awareness!
Hey everyone!
Lately, I've been reflecting a lot on the concept of self-awareness and realizing there's so much more to it than I initially thought. Self-awareness goes beyond recognizing our favorite hobbies or preferences; it's about understanding why we react the way we do in different situations, what makes us tick, and what shapes our identity. For me, this awareness began with moments of quiet reflection and a willingness to truly listen to my own thoughts and feelings, even when they made me uncomfortable at times.
One particular instance that stands out is when I noticed a pattern in how I reacted to stress. Whenever I faced stress, I would easily become overwhelmed and often withdrew from others, affecting both my productivity and relationships. This tendency also brought on feelings of guilt, which only added to my stress! Through journaling and mindfulness practices, I started identifying the triggers behind these reactions. This newfound awareness enabled me to develop healthier coping mechanisms and communicate my needs more effectively.
Nowadays, I use two mini journals: "The Unworry Pad," where I jot down all my worries to clear my mind, and "Today's Mini Moment of Joy," my gratitude journal that helps me focus on the positives.
How do you guys approach self-awareness in your own life? Are there specific practices or moments of reflection that have helped you gain a deeper understanding of yourself?
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts and experiences!
@MellowMusic
How do you guys approach self-awareness in your own life?
- During stressful situations. my mind starts to wander to people who I was previously mad at, even if they are not part of the situation. I usually have to remind myself what I am mad about. I have recently started listing the things that I am mad about and then start writing about things that I am grateful for.
Are there specific practices or moments of reflection that have helped you gain a deeper understanding of yourself?
I find that writing things down helps bring self awareness.
@CreativeKombucha
I definitely agree with you! Writing things down helps me sort through everything going on in my mind and figure out how I'm actually feeling about a situation. And that realization makes it easier to plan what I want to do about it going forward!
@MellowMusic
Sometimes when I started writing down reasons why I felt a certain way at the time. By doing that, it's helped me find some clarity.
And looking back on these reasons later with a clearer mind can help provide another perspective!
@MellowMusic I have two methods that I think are efficient for me. The first method is to meditate which makes my mind free at the moment. I try to stop myself from overthinking. The second method is thinking about what the problem was then asking myself why I did that and analyzing the process.
@Vane26
Yeah meditation it really good approach. I also want to try it.
I love how simple and methodological these are! Knowing what process to follow step-by-step when I find myself overthinking always helps me a lot, almost like it becomes a habit.
@MellowMusic
I can understand sometimes we take self awareness in a very different way. Even I was take it just know ok I want this or like anything else. But after knowing the meaning of self awareness iam also be more trying to be self aware. I also try writing and it is very effective method in many ways.
Exactly!! The way I used to think about self-awareness was very surface-level before, but now learning more about self-awareness and how deeply it affects us has given me so much more perspective on my life.
@MellowMusic
Yeah exactly. Even sometimes it helps to know what we really need. Like I was unaware about the difference between need and want.
Need what is necessity and want which we like to get which have not necessity
@MellowMusic I mostly meditate
That's awesome! I do want to try and get into meditation as well. Any tips?
@MellowMusic
I approach self-awareness by recognizing when there's something I did wrong and trying to go back to the situation I was in, thinking about all the factors that led me to think and act the way I did and trying to understand why I was being irrational and what I can do next time to reason my way through a similar thing.
That's a great approach! Understanding why we reacted to a situation in a negative way helps us identify the core issue and then work on it!
@MellowMusic A way to practice self-awareness is to journal. What I do is search for questions to answer where I can really call myself out and dig deep. This way you get to know yourself more and dig up some things you've been burying for a while.