Take These Steps to Develop Self Awareness

Self awareness is not a destination. It’s an ongoing and important journey. We all have a self-image but how self aware are we? The answer to this question plays a major role in our everyday life.

What is Self Awareness?

Before we can develop self awareness, we must better understand it. Self awareness includes:

• Understanding our emotions and how they came to be
• Identifying our triggers
• Appraising our preferences, abilities, assumptions, and beliefs
• Recognizing our thought and behavior patterns
• Honestly evaluating how all of the above impacts others
• Honestly evaluating how others see us and behave towards us
• Accepting responsibility for our actions
• Committing to growth

We can see self awareness as a way to boldly test ourselves against reality. The results might make us uncomfortable. Our discomfort is part of our self awareness. When we embrace this journey, we also accept the inevitable ups and downs of life.

5 Steps to Develop Self Awareness

1. Set Aside Time to Reflect
   This is step one. Life happens quickly and flows in waves. In today’s high-tech world, we’re often given more input that we can immediately process. It’s impossible to develop self awareness without thinking about it! A few suggestions for busy people:
   ⚈ Power down the phone and laptop for at least 20 minutes. Limit distractions and tune in to your inner rhythm. You’ll be surprised by what you hear.
   ⚈ Use commute time, if necessary. Busy days present a challenge. But if you can find time to check social media, then you can find time to reflect.
   ⚈ Do you go to the gym? If so, perhaps you can use your time on the treadmill or in the sauna to think, process, and meditate.
   No matter when and where you reflect, the goal is honest self-evaluation. Be kind to yourself but don’t make excuses for yourself.
2. Keep a Journal
   Journaling is another basic option. The act of writing enables us to document our inner work. It also empowers us to process this work through the physical action of pen hitting paper. This is why a handwritten journal may be the best. If you have no choice but to use a keyboard of some kind, fine. But if you can, go pick out a journal you like. Get yourself a nice pen. Then start baring your soul via ink and paper. Going back over this journal will be useful in understanding your progress.
3. Interview Yourself…Often
   This is a more ambitious version of journaling. We are our life stories. We are the chapters and scenes that would make up a book or movie. The most important part to remember: Our life story is not carved in stone. Imagine you were writing your own biography. You’d need details and facts to interpret. So, turn on a webcam or cell phone video camera and interview yourself. Ask tough questions and answer then bluntly. By doing such interviews at regular intervals, you will challenge yourself to understand yourself better.
4. Challenge Yourself
   The first three steps are great. But are you pushing your own boundaries? Have you stepped out of your comfort zone? Honest self-appraisal is the work. Self awareness is the reward.
5. Seek Out Honest Feedback and Input
   Sometimes the most obvious reality is difficult to see. We need others to help us develop self awareness. Close friends and family members can be invaluable in this effort. If you’re lucky enough to have someone to offer radical honesty, please talk to them. Otherwise, seeking out one-on-one counseling is a powerful step towards developing self awareness. Your therapist can guide you along this winding but exhilarating path.

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