3 Ways To Raise Self-Awareness (and end those destructive behaviors)

Are there ways of increasing one's awareness of various self-destructive habits?

In an earlier lesson, Sabotaging Your Own Dream, one of the readers asked a valid question: are there specific ways of increasing one’s self-awareness?

Yes, there are.

I hunted through the world of web and found these three basic tips below to help increase self-awareness:

Pause:  

In a modern world that is full of distraction, noise, and chaos, we find it increasingly difficult to allocate time for ourselves in order to re-connect.   In turn, stress and negative habits build until they threaten to overwhelm us, causing us to lose sight of who we are as individuals, and of our dreams.

Studies have shown that it is essential for our mental health to be able to spend quality time with ourselves; but, how do you even begin?

The first step is take a break from your usual hectic lifestyle.  Pause. Be still.  This can mean taking a long, hot bath; or, taking your lunch to sit in your car while listening to soothing music; or even finding a closet and shutting yourself in it.  For others this could be found while going out on a leisurely walk, or gardening, or while washing the dishes.  The key is finding your “quiet” place where you can be alone with your thoughts and feelings.

Reflect:

Turn your focus to your thoughts and feelings and reflect on them.  What’s bothering you?  Are you where you want to be at this point in life?  If not, what is preventing you?  What’s holding you back?  Be honest with yourself.  Recognize and acknowledge each thought and/or feeling that surfaces. Don’t push it away. If it’s helpful, keep a notepad with you and write about these thoughts and feelings.  Don’t hold anything back.

Redirect:

Wait a day or two and then go back and review what you wrote.  Chances are you may see a pattern of behavior (overtly or not) emerging.  If it’s a negative one, it could be responsible for preventing you from realizing a particular dream.  If it is, what changes can you make to remove or convert it into a more positive behavior?  Make note of them, and then put them into action.

For further readings on increasing your own self-awareness, please refer to below sources:

An epic guide to developing self-awareness: how to improve your leadership skills by understanding yourself

Self-Awareness

Comments