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Do you sometimes feel like people don’t see the real you? Or Have you ever wondered why your kindness and efforts aren’t always recognized?
I must ask, Are you sure you know yourself better? I can hear you saying, “Funny! Who doesn’t know his or her personality? But to be honest, when someone asked me that same question, my reaction was…
“I don’t know”
It was just a mindless answer to a meaningful question. Self-awareness is also a skill that involves studying one's behaviors, habits, daily routines, and even responses to various situations. If you are questioning, “Like what? How can I study my behavior?
It's simple. Focus on your reaction to sad, funny, or irritated situations. Do you cry at a happy moment? Or just feel nothing? Whenever you feel angry, what do you do? Use bad words? Break things around you? Or just be silent?
Don’t be impatient, things you know are just one side of the picture! Today, you are not going to be bored as I am taking you on a trip with your own self-awareness.
Sometimes people around you say: “I know you better than yourself.”
These can be your friends, parents, or sometimes your life partner. But here's the twist: 😏 This is not the whole 💯 truth.
You will be stunned to know that we humans have four personalities—Yes, humans are the most complicated creatures to understand on this earth. And that’s not because we had around 270 bones at birth—and then this total decreases to around 206 bones by adulthood as our bones fuse together with time.
We are complex because of the rollercoaster of our emotions, behaviors, and responses, which we sometimes choose to hide.
Understanding the four selves (Types of Self) can help you see the different aspects of your personality and how you interact with the world.
This type of self is the part of you that both you and others know. It’s your public persona, the aspects of yourself that you freely share with the world. For example, your hobbies, your job, and your personality traits that you’re comfortable displaying.
The blind type of self includes things others know about you but you don’t realize about yourself. These might be habits, attitudes, or characteristics that are obvious to everyone else but invisible to you. It’s like having spinach in your teeth and not knowing it until someone tells you!😁
Your hidden self consists of things you know about yourself but keep hidden from others. These might be personal fears, desires, or past experiences that you choose not to share. It’s your private world that others don’t get to see.
The unknown type of self is the part of you that no one knows, including yourself. It includes your untapped potential, unconscious thoughts, and hidden talents. It’s the part of you that has yet to be discovered.
After knowing that you have 4 selves, you are wondering, “Now what?”
What does this information change when I am depressed?
Here I found the answer when I read the words of ‘Myles Munroe’:
"The greatest discovery in life is self-discovery. Until you find yourself, you will always be someone else. Become yourself."
Knowing your four selves can provide you with multiple benefits that can help your personal growth, relationships, and overall well-being.
Here’s how:
Self-awareness is important as it helps you recognize your strengths. It helps you understand your abilities and improve your interactions with others. By improving yourself, you can change how others perceive you. This can boost your confidence and allow you to leverage these strengths in your personal and professional life.
By exploring your blind self, you can uncover habits and traits you were unaware of. This awareness allows you to make positive changes and improve how you interact with others. For example, if you learn that you come across as impatient, you can work on being more patient, leading to healthier and more satisfying relationships.
Acknowledging your hidden self gives you the courage to share more of your true self with others. This exposure can deepen your connections and grow more trust as people appreciate honesty and authenticity.
Delving into your unknown self can be a journey of self-discovery, revealing hidden talents, passions, and potential. This can open up new opportunities for growth and help you set and achieve meaningful goals.
Understanding the different aspects of yourself helps create a balanced self-concept. It allows you to see yourself more clearly, accept your imperfections, and appreciate your unique qualities. This balance can lead to a more positive self-image and higher self-esteem.
When you know your open and hidden selves, you can communicate more effectively. You’ll be better at expressing your thoughts, feelings, and needs, which can reduce misunderstandings and conflicts.
Exploring your unknown self will uncover your inner strengths you didn’t know you had. Rainer Maria Rilke said:
"The only journey is the journey within."
This can make you more consistent in the face of challenges, as you’ll have a deeper understanding of your capabilities.
If you want to improve your self-awareness, you must pick some healthy habits in your daily life.
Journaling is the most underrated self-reflective practice that helps you notice your thoughts and behaviors. Write daily about your thoughts and feelings to gain self-awareness. As, when you write about your experiences and feelings and double-read them at another time, you will find your weaknesses and strengths. Your own words will tell you what you must not do in the future to improve yourself.
Spend 10-15 minutes daily in quiet reflection. It will help reduce stress and improve focus. By simply noticing your thoughts and feelings without trying to change anything, you can gain valuable insights. For example, you might realize you clench your jaw when stressed or worry excessively about the future. Now you can manage your habits better than before.
Engage in positive self-talk to build self-awareness. Pay attention to your inner dialogue and challenge negative thoughts. End your self-criticism or self-doubt; instead, encourage yourself with the hope that better days are coming. This practice can help you improve your overall well-being.
Join MentalHappy and get valuable insights on how to lead a better life like a normal person. You can also connect with others by joining different Support Groups, where you will find people who share similar experiences. Studies have proven that sitting or talking with like-minded people not only reduces stress but also brings happiness to our lives.
Explore self-help and personal development books to gain new perspectives. Enjoy our FREE E-books or Blogs as our experts write to calm your wandering thoughts and even share some healthy tips to Unwind your stressed mind.
Write down three things you’re grateful for each day to boost your mood and outlook.
Make it your morning routine to affirm those positive things in your life, that you were neglecting until now. It will give you self-confidence, leading to more positive interactions.
Engage in physical activity to improve your physical and mental health. You can do some simple Yoga exercises to ease your mind and reflect on where you need to change to improve your personality.
I love the words Aristotle said:
“Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom."
Let’s start a new chapter of our lives by knowing ourselves better than yesterday. And not just know but make ourselves better by throwing out our behavior of ingratitude. There are many people who are fighting to live a day more!
You are a survivor if you are reading this. You must be grateful as all you are left with is making yourself better in your behavior and daily conversations so you can laugh and make people happy around you!
If you are in a life-threatening situation - DO NOT use this platform.
Use these resources to get immediate help.
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