To live a truly authentic life, one needs to know who one really is. After all, how can you be true to yourself if you don’t know who you are?
This is precisely why understanding the meaning of self-awareness is the key to living a fulfilling and happier life.
Now, the meaning of self-awareness is more than just knowing the right flavor of ice cream you love. Researchers Silvia & O’Brien describe the meaning of self-awareness as the ability to focus one’s attention on their own self and eventually evaluate the steps and actions one takes.
Self-awareness is knowing what motivates you, what you are passionate about, and most importantly, why you do what you do. It allows you to identify what makes you feel safe in your relationships and your ability to connect with other people and deal with your emotions.
In simple words, it addresses the stuff that lies deep within you. And because it is so deep and buried, it takes a whole lot of effort and time to master the true meaning of self-awareness.
But we are here to make it easy for you.
Here are the best ways to understand and develop self-awareness:
1. Name your emotions.
You might feel like you don’t have a lot of emotions to deal with every day, but you do… You might not have noticed them or become numb to them. So the first step toward learning the meaning of self-awareness and developing it is to label your emotions.
You don’t have to deal with them right the very moment they occur. For starters, just labeling that emotion will bring you a sense of awareness about it as soon as it occurs. You could use journaling to track your emotions every day.
Read more: 5 Journaling Techniques To Get You To Start Journaling Today!
2. Let go of your past.
The biggest obstacles to self-awareness are the thoughts and memories of the past that we keep holding onto. No matter how difficult it is, we must realize that the only thing that makes a powerful impact in our life is the moment that we are living right now. And that is why it is time to finally let go of the thoughts and emotions that prevent you from truly living the present moment.
A good trick to achieve this is to label each thought as it comes to your mind. Now, evaluate this thought and decide whether it is essential to the present moment or not. If not, let it slide down the conveyer belt and out of mind.
Read more: Effective Ways To Overcome Regret
3. Practice acceptance.
It is human nature to try and control every little thing that happens around us. However, the true meaning of self-awareness is accepting that some things are just beyond human control. And no matter how hard you try, there will be things you cannot control.
Self-awareness means realizing what is within your control and beyond your reach. Accepting the things you cannot change will fill you with a better sense of purpose. It will help you reduce the efforts you waste trying to change the uncontrollable.
Conclusion:
Deciphering the meaning of self-awareness and imbibing it in your life is a skill. It will take time and a whole lot of effort to build, just like everything else you have ever tried to learn. We hope these steps will help you reach one step closer to the end goal.
Another constructive way to build self-awareness is through practicing mindfulness meditation. To know more about what mindfulness is, click here.
To learn more about mental health and self-awareness, subscribe to Your Mental Health Pal.