September is Self Awareness Month

Self Awareness is Self Correction!

Self-awareness is a necessary building block of emotional intelligence; it is the building block upon which the rest of the components are built. One must have self-awareness to self-regulate, and social skills will be weak and of little use if you are not aware enough about when and how to use them.

If you’re looking to build your emotional intelligence, self-awareness is the first step.

There are many ways to build and practice self-awareness, but here are some of the most effective:

1. Practice mindfulness and meditation

Mindfulness refers to being present in the moment and paying attention to yourself and your surroundings rather than getting lost in thought or ruminating or daydreaming.

Meditation is the practice of focusing your attention on one thing, such as your breath, a mantra, or a feeling, and letting your thoughts drift by instead of holding on to them.

2. Practice yoga

Yoga is a physical practice, but it’s just as much a mental practice. While your body is stretching and bending and flexing, your mind is learning discipline, self-acceptance, and awareness. You become more aware of your body and all the feelings that manifest, and you become more aware of your mind and the thoughts that crop up.

You can even pair yoga with mindfulness or meditation to boost your self-awareness.

3. Make time to reflect

Reflecting can be done in multiple ways (including journaling; see below next tip) and is customizable to the person reflecting, but the important thing is to go over your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors to see where you met your standards, where you failed them, and where you could improve.

You can also reflect on your standards themselves to see if they are good ones for you to hold yourself to. You can try writing in a journal, talking out loud, or simply sitting quietly and thinking, whatever helps you to reflect on yourself.

4. Journal

Journaling allows you to identify, clarify, and accept your thoughts and feelings. It helps you discover what you want, what you value, and what works for you. It can also help you find out what you don’t want, what is not important to you, and what doesn’t work for you.

Both are equally important to learn. Whether you like to write free-flowing entries, bulleted lists, or poems, writing down your thoughts and feelings helps you to become more aware and intentional.

5. Ask the people you love

It’s vital to feel we know ourselves from the inside, but external feedback helps too. Ask your family and close friends about what they think about you. Have them describe you and see what rings true with you and what surprises you.

Carefully consider what they say and think about it when you journal or otherwise reflect. Of course, don’t take any one person’s word as gospel; you need to talk to a variety of people to get a comprehensive view of yourself.

And remember that at the end of the day, it’s your self-beliefs and feelings that matter the most to you!

In short, a little extra self-awareness can be of great benefit to anyone with the will to improve.

Doing your inside work helps you to know who you are, who your not and challenge beliefs given to you from the external world.  Happy excavation to discover your truth now.

September Special

Indian Head Massage  $40

Great way to sit in silence, quiet the mind and connect fully to yourself.

If you would like to book some
TIME FOR SELF
CALL
403-358-2362 OR
contact me at
https://timeforself.net/contact/

Self Discovery Quotes  

The greatest journey in life is the journey of self discovery.

Owning our story can be hard but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives running from it.

The mind’s first step to self-awareness must be through the body.  – George A Sheehan –

Find out who you are and do it on purpose. – Dolly Parton –

“The easiest person to deceive is one’s own self.”

Self awareness doesn’t stop you from making mistakes, it allows you to learn from them.

Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves.  – Henry David Thoreu –

Self-reflection is the school of wisdom – Baltasar Gracian –

To know others is wisdom, to know yourself is enlightenment. – Lao Tzu –

Self awareness can take a while.  Be forgiving.  – Jon Acuff –

“Awareness is the greatest agent for change.”  – Eckhart Tolle –

Self-awareness is a key to self-mastery.  – Gretchen Rubin –

Why fit in when you were born to stand out?  – Dr. Seuss –

“All that we are is a result of all that we have thought.”  – Buddha –