5 Ways to Cultivate Self-Awareness

Being self-aware means that we are aware of our emotions and emotional state at any moment, which can positively affect our thoughts and behaviors in any situation. We may even be able to even see ourselves objectively- what we say and do as seen from the perspective of someone else.

This obviously isn’t an easy thing to do! But self-awareness can be cultivated through conscious efforts in our daily lives that will help us awaken to ourselves. Here are 5 ways to help cultivate self-awareness.

1. Set Goals for yourself and work towards them each day. Working towards what we really want for ourselves gives our attention a firm direction and can help you achieve a fulfilling and meaningful life.
2. Conscious Breathing– Most people don’t focus on the benefits of sitting up straight but relaxing, and simply calmly breathing fully in and out- drawing in fresh air fully with each breath, exhaling it out fully and then repeating. This is a great way to both relax and energize yourself and doing so with full attention can help cultivate self-awareness.
3. Meditation practice– With so many distractions and efforts throughout the day, it’s easy to almost exist either on autopilot or from a place of stress or exhaustion. By taking time to turn everything else off for a bit to sit with ourselves and focus inwards to view our thoughts and feelings as they come and go, we can reconnect with ourselves and can recalibrate our attention and energy with a heightened level of self-awareness that meditation can bring.
4. Keep a Journal– Capturing your thoughts and feelings and feelings as they happen can help you become more self-aware over time when you revisit your journal. You may discover patterns of thought both wonderful and not, but the practice of journaling can be enlightening.
5. Treat Yourself to a day just for yourself. It’s important from time to time to break out of our normal 9-5 living patterns and “come up for some air”. You might choose to do something new on this day, or visit people or places you love, or perhaps do nothing much at all! Do what feels right for you on this day, remind yourself that you are not on a time-clock, break the pattern of go-go-go, and simply be who you are, doing what you want and enjoying your “you day”!