Understanding the Self

The ability to understand one's behaviors, actions and reactions are referred to as self-understanding. It also means having an insight into one's attitudes, strengths, and weaknesses. As an adult, I am aware of the things that I am good at and where I am not at my very best. I have learned much about this topic, where the main focus is self-understanding. I learned that it is not just about knowing your name; age; height; the color of your skin tone; or favorite viand that identifies who you are.

I discovered that to understand yourself and internalize who you are as an individual, you must better understand why you feel the way you do and behave the way you do. This awareness gives you the opportunity and freedom to change aspects of yourself, allowing you to live the life you desire.

As an initial step, understanding one's self means listening to yourself. As simple as spending a few minutes each day in silence and listening to the tone of your inner voice. One way of activating your inner voice. It is also beneficial to write down your thoughts since this helps you determine your mindset's positive or negative.

The next step is to make use of your senses. Your senses, mainly sight and hearing, can provide a wealth of vivid information about your and other people's emotions and situations. However, it is essential to note that your sensemaking is frequently filtered by self-talk. Despite what your inner voice may be saying, a frown, for example, does not always indicate that someone is angry; a groan does not always suggest that the person you're speaking with is bored.

The last step is tuning into your feelings. It may not be easy if you do not enjoy thinking deeply about their feelings. Your feelings are emotional reactions to your experiences. Like your senses, emotions provide helpful information about what is happening around you if you tune into them.

There are more ways of self-reflection, and you are the one who is in control of what you will use to understand yourself. As May Sarton puts it, "We have to dare to be ourselves, however frightening or strange that self may prove to be." If we understand and know ourselves better, we will know our strengths and where we excel. And if we know our true selves, we will be more confident in doing things out of our comfort zones. Now, do you want to do and explore things that are outside your box? You can, but first, ask yourself the question I asked before the first paragraph and reflect on it.