Self-awareness is about getting to know yourself in an open, non-judgemental way. Most of us fall down right here. We might be self-aware, but we are incredibly judgemental in the process.
The trick with self-awareness is to enter any self-examination or reflection with COMPASSION. For example, with the first journaling question, ‘What triggers you?’ You might think, ‘I am triggered by my mother telling me I have put weight on’, and then go into a shame spiral because you have put weight on, and you are unhappy about it.
Compassion would say: “I am triggered by my mother telling me I have put weight on because she used to shame me about my weight in front of my friends as a child. When she comments on my weight, I feel horrible. Yes, I have put on a little weight, but it is not that much, and I can easily get fitter if I choose to.”
Taking time to self-reflect and journal allows for more self-awareness. When we are aware, we are more able to make changes that support us, we are more able to align our actions with our values.
