5 Hacks to Increase Self-Awareness

Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.

Aristotle

According to the American Psychological Association, self-awareness refers to self-focused attention or knowledge. It is the capability of directing attention and evaluating our inner self. Humans develop self-awareness between the ages of 1 to 3 when the child can apply personal pronouns like ‘I’ and ‘me’ when a child responds to their names being called out and recognises themselves as a separate entity.

The question of whether or not non-human animals have self-awareness has been debated through time immemorial. American psychologist, the late Gordon Gallup Jr., created the mirror self-recognition test, which is normally used to determine whether an animal is aware of itself. In the case where a mirror was put in an animal’s natural habitat and some change was done to an animal’s appearance, for instance, dyeing a patch of fur, the animal is observed to groom and notice itself in the mirror, then the animal is said to have passed the mirror self-recognition test.

So far, only a few chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans have passed the test. Therefore, self-awareness is a major personality trait with critical survival benefits and not a behaviour limited to human beings only.

Read More: Self-Awareness is the key to Self-Mastery

Why is Self-Awareness important?

Self-awareness involves being able to see ourselves from other people’s perspective, figure out how others perceive us and place ourselves as part and parcel of the society. It has been critically evidenced to be having a host of benefits, which include:

• Emotional Regulation: Another finding from a 2003 study by Gross and John was that individuals with high self-awareness also reported high rates of cognitive reappraisal—an attribute known to have less negative emotion and better psychological well-being.
• Better Decision Making: Self-awareness can allow one, as per a 2001 research, to detect the difference between one’s current behaviour and their moral standards and therefore help them to make better decisions by being able to make choices in line with their set of values and goals.
• Improved Interpersonal Relationships: More often, self-aware people understand others’ perceptions quite well, and therefore, they are more empathetic again leading to enjoyable social interactions and strong bonds.
• Greater Well-being and Life Satisfaction: The study by Harrington and Loffredo in 2010 found that highly self-focused individuals are likely to have greater life satisfaction as they are nearer to the self and can therefore set and pursue goals that have more meaning to them.

5 Hacks to Increase Self-Awareness

1. Mindfulness

As the creator of the Mindfulness-Based Stress-Reduction, Jon Kabat-Zinn, explains, “The core invitation of mindfulness is for you to befriend yourself. That means recognizing and inhabiting your intrinsic wholeness and beauty…” 

Mindfulness practices have been popular lately and for the right reasons. According to the American Psychological Association, mindfulness is the conscious understanding of one’s inner state and the surrounding area. Mindfulness practices, such as mindful meditation and mindful eating, enable a person to sit with his thoughts and surroundings. It creates a pathway that can be used for a deeper probing of the inner self. 

Various studies have stated that mindfulness practices can enhance one’s level of self-awareness since this allows the individual to look at and understand their thoughts and feelings without reacting to them immediately.  A positive cycle of mindfulness and self-awareness, each reinforcing the other can enhance its benefits. This was proved in a study conducted by  Bishop in 2004. It’s the increased self-awareness that mindfulness brings which further deepens mindfulness practices and creates a positive feedback loop

2. Keep a Self-Reflection and Gratitude Journal

Writing about each day in a journal can provide far greater benefits than one might assume. Though social media has popularized journaling as a self-care practice, science supports several of its benefits According to a 2006 study, journaling fosters self-reflection, which promotes self-awareness and personal growth.

Journaling helps individuals gain insights into their behaviours, thoughts, and emotions, leading to a better understanding and management of their lives and an increased appraisal of their values. Keeping a gratitude journal wherein one lists down things that one is grateful for each day can aid in counting your blessings and viewing yourself as a part of the broader universe. This can help gain a better understanding of yourself and your surroundings.

3. Read Fiction

Reading fiction offers numerous benefits and one of them is a heightened self-awareness. Fiction allows us to live a plethora of diverse experiences, walk in someone else’s shoes, and view things from varied perspectives. Studies have found that reading fiction improves social cognition, enhances emotional intelligence, and reduces cognitive biases. Fiction also gives us the scope to reflect on our own lives, values, and choices by identifying with the characters we like. Hence, an effortless way to boost your self-awareness is to pick up a novel that intrigues you!

4. Explore your Past

Take a moment to reflect on your past experiences, both positive and negative. Examine how these experiences have shaped your beliefs, behaviours, and emotions. Embrace your inadequacies and flaws and find ways to overcome them. This is an important ingredient of self-awareness which can help you shed light on our downsides and face them head on.

5. Seek Feedback from Others

You don’t need to be alone in your journey to self-awareness. Take the help of a loved one and ask for feedback. Ask them to be straight up and not give answers just to appease you. According to clinical psychologist, Dr. N. Simay Gökbayrak, PhD, you can ask a loved one the following questions:

• What are my greatest strengths?
• What’s something I could improve on?
• When do you think I am at my best? 
• When it comes to advice or comfort, do you often turn to me?
• Is there anything you think is important to me in my professional and personal relationships?
• Do I have strengths in one context that may be a weakness in another (and vice versa)?

Read More: Signature strengths and Self-awareness; key to quality life

In Summary

Often when we ask ourselves these questions we might come up with biased answers, hence it is important to get a second opinion and then come up with a list of values and traits that you possess. Cultivating self-awareness is a lifelong process and can be a challenging one as well when you realise that there is a discord between your actions and your values. But, these situations, if resolved adeptly will help you become closer to yourself and give you the ultimate knowledge of the most complex subject- The Self.

The only journey is the journey within.

Rainer Maria Rilke