The Tool You Didn’t Know You Needed

Having Self-Awareness is more than a tool or a skill. It’s sort of like putting on virtual reality goggles because when you use it, the environment around you starts to look a lot different. The only difference from the goggles is that instead of entering a fantasy world, you’re looking at your real one just a little bit differently. We do have the ability, to an extent, to shift our experiences using self-awareness. So, really, Self-awareness is more like a superpower.

How does self-awareness become this alternative reality? It’s a way to step outside of ourselves, out of the noise and chaos that make up our swirling thoughts, and step into a place of observance. By taking this step back, we are more equipped to understand what we may be thinking, feeling, or wanting.

How is self-awareness any different than recognizing how we feel? It simply takes more effort. When we notice we’re nervous or irritated or annoyed, that’s helpful, but… by turning on our VR headset, we’re clearing and widening the landscape. This allows us to see and question why we’re feeling the way we do. In doing so, we’re preventing these feelings from overriding our system- we’re taking back control and not allowing them to take over.

Lately, we’re thinking a lot about this Re-emergence from Covid and all of the feelings that arise along with it. If we’re not turning on our self-awareness then some of those negative feelings may dictate what we “can” and “can’t” do. If we give ourselves the space to reflect then we give ourselves more decision-making power to cultivate an experience that’s more meaningful and fulfilling.

With more self-awareness comes more attunement with what we need. Noticing that we’re upset is like finding a spot on a map and self-awareness points us in a direction to unveil more layers of that specific spot. When these layers become more visible, we can better understand what it is we may need, i.e. slow down, get curious, or create a dialogue about these feelings with a friend.

We all have self-awareness, but we’re not always used to using it. The more we become detectives of our own mind’s, the more we can get acquainted with our feelings, thoughts, desires, behaviors and motives.

Stay Well,
Catherine at Revive