Odds are if someone were to check your camera roll, they’d find a selfie or two. Selfies are the new norm and are symbolic of our desire to see ourselves in the moments of our own lives. Thanks to our camera-ready phones, we have a digital record of where we go and what we do. Our focus is on what’s happening outside of ourselves. What if we were as aware of what was happening on the inside as well?
Why ask this question? Because what we think and how we feel drive our choices and decisions. The more we are aware and understand the power behind our minds, the more we steer our lives in an intentional and positive direction.
Invite yourself to explore your mind and follow these three ways to increase your self-awareness:
Notice
The busy mind offers thousands of thoughts with connected emotions. To begin to deal with everything happening in your mind, slow things down, step back, and take a moment to see the big picture. Viewing a situation from a wider lens will help you notice more subtle factors at play.
Be Curious
Be curious with what you discover from self-awareness. Pause and sit with the feeling of being uncomfortable. It may not be your first reaction but dealing with feelings of discomfort about something will lead to fruitful insights and get easier with practice. We benefit from being aware of our emotional drivers.
Don’t Judge, Be Kind
When we invite our deeper wisdom to surface in our awareness, we are often quick to find fault in ourselves. Instead of judging yourself, be kind to yourself. Take this opportunity to give yourself credit for showing up and dealing with your human thoughts and emotions.
Next time you are facing a familiar problem, or are stuck in a rut, bring the most powerful agent of change to the table – yourself! More specifically, your self-awareness. Strengthen this mighty muscle and bring light to your unexamined core beliefs, typical perspectives, and routine emotional responses that may be getting you nowhere fast.
Learn more about how Healthwise Behavioral Health & Wellness can help you with your self-awareness and more. Contact us today!