How Self-Aware Are You? Really?

While it might seem obvious, it can be challenging to recognize our own behaviors. Every day, we have to make over 2,000 decisions. Because this number is so high, our brain usually takes over and acts without us being conscious of it. All of these unconscious decisions decrease our self-awareness.

Emotional intelligence is perhaps the foundation of all self-awareness, but it’s not easy. Humans are wired to seek pleasure and avoid pain. Our amygdala sparks emotions deep within us. These driving emotions get in the way of our rational thinking. The more self-aware you are of your emotions, the better you can control them.

I know it’s difficult to believe, but we don’t just “switch” to negative emotions for no apparent reason. There’s almost always something that causes this shift. The problem is that we don’t always know what this “something” is (generally because it’s hard enough just to name our negative emotion in the first place). After taking this free self-awareness test, try to consciously recognize when you shift into a bad mood and what might have caused it​.

If emotions are difficult to identify, ​emotional patterns​ can be even trickier. We all fall into emotional patterns, both negative and positive, that repeat themselves in our lives. Once you’re self-aware of these patterns, you can begin to improve your negative patterns and construct your positive ones.

One of the strongest human motivators is the emotion of fear. Starting in our evolutionary history, fear helped us survive from potential threats. In today’s age, this fear still drives us, even when we’re not in imminent danger. Additionally, we’ve all developed our own deep-rooted fears. By increasing your self-awareness of what causes your fear, you can better manage your emotional reactions when it gets triggered.

The other powerful motivating emotion is shame. We’re not self-aware of how shame, and the avoidance of shame, drive our thinking and behaviors. To limit the effect that shame has, we need to develop greater self-awareness of what triggers our shame the most.

Self-awareness extends beyond identifying our emotions (although being self-aware of our emotions is the foundation). Understanding our principles and ​core values​ is a crucial component of self-awareness. To be happy, you must discover what core values you want to guide your life.

Naming your core values is the first step. The second step includes using these principles to guide your life and decision-making. To be self-aware, you must understand how to ​orient your decision-making​ around your core values. Only with this self-awareness can you give your life the direction you want.

Many of us have a false idea of what passion and ​purpose should look like​. Passions do not need to consume your life. Instead, passions are the things that you do that give you joy and energy. We all have passions; it merely takes some self-awareness to identify them and prioritize them​ in your life.

Humans are wired for self-growth. This growth is difficult to achieve, however, if you’re not self-aware of what you should be growing toward. Self-improvement needs to start with clear goals, and it takes a level of self-awareness to be able to state these goals and pursue them.

It’s easy to only look inward when we think of self-awareness. However, real self-awareness also requires us to look outward. The more self-aware you are about your environment and how it affects you, the more you can design your life in a way that brings purpose to your life.

There’s a reason there are a lot of ​strength-finding tests​. Being self-aware of your strengths, and how they manifest themselves in your life, is crucial to ​being successful​ in life.

As fun as it might be to discover our strengths, it might be unpleasant to look for our shortcomings. However, understanding our limitations is 100% necessary to be successful. Possessing the self-awareness of these limitations can help us ​design our life​ in a way that is realistic and effective.

We don’t often think about a “typical” reaction, because every new piece of information feels new. However, if you do think about it, you can become self-aware of your reactions and how they repeat themselves. By doing so, you can work to downplay the negative reactions and build on your positive ones.

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Not only do we need to be self-aware in our relationships, but we also need to be self-aware about the relationships in our life as a whole. Research has proven that we need different ​types of relationships​ to be happy and avoid loneliness. Greater self-awareness will help you identify which boxes might be left unchecked in your life.

Self-awareness has two types: internal and external. Understanding the impact you have on others falls under ​external self-awareness​, and it’s just as critical. While it’s impossible to get into the minds of others, there are strategies to help you understand the impact you have on others.

Humans are flawed and imperfect. It’s not enough to accept this fact, however, for your pursuit of self-awareness. The more you understand how our ​human nature affects us​, the more you can develop your awareness in life. First, you must learn the different biases that affect us. Then, you can begin to identify where they affect your life.

We’re all deeply influenced by our childhood (especially when it comes ​to our love life​). Sometime along the way, we developed coping mechanisms to deal with negative stressors. Some of us shut down and practice avoidance; others try to be perfectionists. A self-aware person can name their coping mechanisms and identify what triggers them. From there, they can better manage themselves.

One of the elements of human nature that affect us is social comparison. We naturally look to others for answers. As a result, our culture or environment can have a significant impact on us. To improve your self-awareness, you must understand what these ​cultural narratives​ are (and especially, which ones are myths). Then, you can identify where they influence your thinking. .