In order to live a successful life and meet your full potential, you will need to develop the ability to be self-aware. But what does self-awareness mean?

At its core, being self-aware means that you can understand why you feel the way you do and make decisions that honor your needs. This can include personal goals, boundaries, and relationships. Becoming self-aware is not something that individuals are always inherently born with, instead, it is a skill learned over time. By being self-aware you can move through life in a way that honors your individual needs and emotions. Though this is a learned skill some people may find that they come to it more naturally than others. The good news is that with practice and persistence you are able to improve your self-awareness.

What is self-awareness?
Self-awareness is the ability to see yourself with clarity and to take an objective view through reflection and introspection. The theory of self-awareness is based on the notion that you are not your thoughts, you are an entity that is observing them, you are thinking but are separate from your thoughts. We can very easily live our lives without paying any attention to our inner self, but if we can learn to observe our thoughts in a reflective manner we are better able to stay in control of them. Self-awareness can be the difference between how you see yourself and how others see you. The more self-aware you are, the more you are able to make good choices and look after your wellbeing and resilience and tune into the needs of others.

The top 3 foundation pillars for your self-awareness:

1. Understand Your Desires- Dig Deeper!
   An important part of self-awareness is understanding why you want the things you do. From what you eat to the goals you set for yourself, there is always a why behind them. When we are not in tune with ourselves, we may make choices that are not truly suited to what we truly want.
2. Practice daily your ‘ME Time’
   Another way to improve self-awareness is by actively doing things that make you feel good. Set aside social expectations and tune into what you enjoy doing. This might mean saying no to a social outing or trying something new alone. Listen to yourself and allow yourself to do things just for yourself. This may take practice if you are accustomed to meeting others needs before your own. It can be a balancing act but remember that you are worthy of doing things for yourself.
3. Honor Your Emotions & Feelings
   Allow yourself to feel and don’t tell yourself you shouldn’t feel the way you do. Many times, we choose to suppress how we feel in order to benefit others or because we don’t trust ourselves. Understand that there is always a reason why you feel the way you do.

Here are some more tips for you to start practicing your self-awareness and get to kno0w yourself better:
Be mindful of your present moments:
Practicing mindfulness helps you to focus on the present moment and pay attention to your thoughts and feelings, without getting wrapped up in them. You are guided to let your thoughts drift by without needing to react or do anything, which helps you become more aware of your internal state

Meditate:
Meditation is a powerful tool to help you practice being more mindful. Maintain awareness of the breath. As you inhale say to yourself “breathing in” as you exhale say to yourself “breathing out”. Notice the sensation of air filling your lungs, your diaphragm, and just be mindful of each breath. Email at [email protected] to try the first free virtual meditation class!

Journal:
It’s time to reflect on your thoughts and feelings is one of the most effective ways to increase your self-awareness. Keep a journal, start a blog, send emails to yourself, scribble in a notebook—however, you do it, writing is a lot like meditating with an active brain component added in.

Body Movement- Let the Energy flow:
Whether you do yoga, Pilates, running, walking, or whatever form of movement works for you, notice what your body is telling you. During movement, you become more aware of your body and all the feelings that manifest in it and you become more aware of your mind and the thoughts within it, which increases your self-acceptance and self-awareness.

LET’S PRACTICE!
For the next 7 days daily write down your feelings in a journal. Self express yourself. You will feel much lighter and relaxed after this activity.

Love and light

Manali