five things that change when you develop self-awareness

the competitiveness of society and the comparative culture of today can destroy your self-confidence and leave you searching for an identity. ⁠it’s hard to avoid caring about what other people think of you and measuring yourself against that which you are exposed to. but worry not - there is a superpower that can help you become resilient to the challenges of today. and it’s a little thing called...⁠ self-awareness.⁠
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at its core, self-awareness is about understanding the things that make you function in your everyday life. ⁠
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your thoughts, feelings, belief systems, responses, and ways of relating all go under this big umbrella. and it’s no secret that the more you know about yourself, the better you will be at reacting to the different situations that life throws at you. ⁠here are some of the well-researched benefits of improving self-awareness:

better decision-making

every day, we are faced with hundreds of decisions, micro-choices that we make with hardly any awareness and bigger ones that are more conscious. improving your self-awareness will help you increase your emotional intelligence and understand the internal factors that drive your decision making process. how you make choices, why you make the choices you do, and what you’re driven to in certain contexts are all pieces of the larger puzzle that make up who you are. activities that increase your self-awareness also give you an understanding of how different moods impact your decision making process and how you can regroup in a stressful situation to make the best possible decision.

improves confidence

we are beings who thrive on healthy relationships. our brain’s default position is one of social nature. people who are highly self-aware are great at creating and maintaining relationships because they have a clear understanding of what they bring to the table, know how to relate to the feelings of other people, and are more competent in setting their own boundaries. this naturally improves the confidence that a person exudes in social situations and leads to many further benefits.

elevates leadership skills

knowing more about yourself aids in removing internal fears and insecurities that you could be feelings and helps you to focus on solving outward issues. leaders are great at making swift decisions and carrying themselves with confidence. if you are looking to be promoted into a position of leadership in your workplace or simply want to become a better natural leader in your community, self-awareness activities are a great place to start.

connects you back to yourself

an easy way to lose touch with ourselves is to spend too much time attempting to be someone we are not. this can involve trying overly hard to fit into social groups, working to maintain a facade in the workplace, or behaving more like your idealized self than our real one. self-awareness exercises and practices are one of the first steps in connecting us back to our inner being and avoiding the triggers that leave us feeling disconnected. living an authentic life leaves you more emotionally at ease and comfortable in your own skin.

makes you healthier

when we know more about ourselves, we do better for ourselves. a research study once took two groups of smokers and asked one group to just pay attention to what it felt like while they were smoking. this group had a higher rate of success when they were later asked to quit smoking. why? because they tuned into what it felt like - they became more self-aware of how it made them feel. when we tune into the choices we make for both our mind and our body, we tend to make better ones.

self-awareness is a superpower that we can cultivate and grow over time. we certain practices and a dialed in commitment we can become more efficient at tuning into our thoughts, feelings, and beliefs which help us level up exponentially in all areas of life.